Strychnos pungens

Strychnos pungens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Loganiaceae
Genus:	Strychnos
Species:	S. pungens
Binomial name
Strychnos pungens Soler.

Strychnos pungens (English: spine-leaved monkey-orange, Afrikaans: Stekelblaarklapper) is a tree which belongs to the Loganiaceae. Usually about 5m tall, occurring in mixed woodland or in rocky places. Branches are short and rigid. Leaves are smooth, stiff, opposite, elliptic and with a sharp, spine-like tip. Occurring in South Africa on the Witwatersrand, Magaliesberg and further north to northern Namibia, northern Botswana and Zimbabwe.

The fruit is large (120mm diameter), round and with a smooth hard shell, bluish-green in colour and turning yellow when ripe. The pulp of ripe fruit is rich in citric acid and is edible, but the seeds are mildly poisonous. The tree is a close relative of Strychnos nux-vomica, the source of strychnine.

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  bark
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  foliage
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  flowers
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  fruit

References

• "Strychnos pungens". Lost crops of Africa: Volume IIII:Fruits. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
• "Strychnos pungens". Namibian Biodiversity Database. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
• "Strychnos pungens". Operation wildflower. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
• New Fruits for Arid Climates