Thiba tree, Sherbet tree, Zulu podberry
Dialium schlechteri

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 6-15 m tall. It has a spreading crown and a straight stem when grown in open places. It can have several stems. The stems are white mottled with grey. The leaves are carried one after another along opposite sides of the branch. They are 15 cm long with 3-6 pairs of leaflets and one at the end. The leaflets are 1-2 cm long and about 1.9 cm wide with unequal sides. The leaves have slender stalks and the leaflets do not have stalks. The leaves turn yellow before they fall off. The buds are round, brown and hairy. They are carried in the axils of leaves. The flowers are small and green and have a scent. The fruit are oval and 2.5 cm long. They are reddish-brown and velvety with a crisp shell. Inside is a thin layer of red flesh which tastes like dried apricots. The seeds are small, shiny and irregular in shape. The fruit are edible.

There are about 40 Dialium species. They grow in tropical SE Asia. They probably all have edible fruit. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in coastal bush and forest. It is often on dry sandy soils.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, East Africa, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa

How it is used for food

The fruit are edible and eaten especially by children. They are cooked. The powdery pulp of the fruit is mixed with water to make a drink.

The fruit are eaten especially by children. It is a commonly used fruit in Mozambique.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Dziba, Enziba, Ntsiva, Tinswa, Unthiba, Ziba, Zoeloepeulbessie

Synonyms

Andradia arborea Sim;