Ximenia americana

Ximenia americana (100 seeds)

Family: Olacaceae.

Common names: small blue sourplum, kleinblousuurpruim.

Small or large shrub or small tree with spine-tipped branchlets. Leaves in the axils of straight spines, blueish or grey-green, hairless, distinctly folded upwards along the midrib. Flowers clustered in the axils of the spines, small, greenish-white with a white “beard” in the throat. Fruits are yellow to red when ripe. The fruit is edible but very sour.

Sowing instructions: Plant seeds in summer in a mixture with a 5:1 ratio of sand and compost. Germination will be observed approximately 14–30 days after sowing. Once the seedling has produced second-phase of leaves, it is ready for transplanting.

Locality: Pietersburg. Harvest: January 2024