Small-fruited teclea, Giant cherry-orange
Vepris nobilis

Family: Rutaceae

What it is like

A shrub or a medium sized tree. It grows 20 m tall. The trunk does not have branches for 7.5 m. The trunk is often crooked and can be 60 cm across. The leaves are alternate and have 3 leaflets. The leaflets are oval and 5-15 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. They are narrowly oval. They taper to the tip. The flowers are in groups 15 cm long in the axils of leaves or at the ends of branches. The flowers are whitish-yellow. Male and female flowers are separate. The fruit is oval and fleshy. It is 6-8 mm long by 5-6 mm wide and is smooth. It is orange-red and has one seed inside. The seed is oval.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edges of evergreen forest and along rivers. It grows in evergreen forest between 900-2,700 m altitude in East Africa. It is at lower altitudes in southern Africa.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Burundi, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Middle East, Mozambique, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten raw.

There are 80 Vepris species. They are mostly in Africa.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Fresh seed should be used. Seeds can only be stored for a few months. Trees can be pruned and cut back and allowed to re-grow.

It grows very slowly. Fruit ripen 1-2 months after flowering.

Its other names

Local names

Hadessa, Hadhessa, Kuoi, Kurion, Mdimu, Mkulu-kulu, Olgilai, Tsaki

Synonyms

Aspidostigma acuminatum Hochst.; Cranzia nobilis Kuntze; Teclea nobilis Delile; Teclea natalensis sensu Bak. f.; Teclea welwitschii (Hiern) Verdoorn; Toddalia nobilis (Del.) Hook. f.;