Strychnos Spinosa * Green Monkey Orange * Juicy Sweet Sour Fruit * 5 Seeds RARE

Strychnos spinosa is a tree indigenous to tropical and subtropical Africa. It produces juicy, sweet-sour, yellow fruits, containing numerous hard brown seeds. Greenish-white flowers grow in dense heads at the ends of branches . The fruits tend to appear only after good rains. It is related to the deadly Strychnos nux-vomica, which contains strychnine. The smooth, hard fruit are large and green, ripen to yellow color. Inside the fruit are tightly packed seeds surrounded by a fleshy, edible covering. Animals such asbaboon, monkeys, bushpig and eland eat the fruit. The leaves are a popular food source for browsers such as duiker, kudu, nyala and elephant. It is believed that various insects pollinate the flowers. A traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known fruit has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare. The wood can be used for general carpentry. Timber from this tree is also used to produce implement handles, fighting sticks and hut poles. It is also used for carving. The species has recently been introduced into Israel as a potential new commercial crop. The fruit may be used as a supplementary source of food by rural people during times of shortage.