''Canthium inerme'' (Turkey-berry) is a tough, adaptable medium-sized tree from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. It bears small edible fruits and has a variety of uses in traditional medicine.

Name

The Latin species name of this plant, ''"inerme"'', actually means ''"unarmed"'', which is an unusual (possibly ironic) name for a tree that does in fact have thorns. Its common name in English refers to how much birds of all kinds enjoy eating the fruits, while the Afrikaans name, "bokdrol", means "buck droppings", and refers to the appearance of the fruits.

Distribution

It has a wide distribution, occurring from

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

in the south, along the eastern coast of

as far as

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and inland as far as

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

, including

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

and

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

. This adaptable tree also occurs in a variety of habitats, ranging from afro-montane forest to coastal grassland and

bushveld The Bushveld (from af, bosveld, af, bos 'bush' and af, veld) is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa. It encompasses most of Limpopo Province and a small part of ...

, and from sea-level up to 1700 m. It is not however found in the most arid environments, nor in the wettest forests, preferring drier scrub forests.

Appearance

This is a very variable species, but it generally grows as a small to medium-sized tree. Like many trees, in shady conditions it grows tall and sparse up to 14m in height, while in direct sunlight it forms a small, dense, domed tree of about 5m. A very distinctive feature of this species is the way it grows its

thorns Thorn(s) or The Thorn(s) may refer to: Botany * Thorns, spines, and prickles, sharp structures on plants * ''Crataegus monogyna'', or common hawthorn, a plant species Comics and literature * Rose and Thorn, the two personalities of two DC Com ...

in opposite pairs, at perfect

right angle In geometry and trigonometry, a right angle is an angle of exactly 90 Degree (angle), degrees or radians corresponding to a quarter turn (geometry), turn. If a Line (mathematics)#Ray, ray is placed so that its endpoint is on a line and the ad ...

s on the branch. These thorns often become branches in their own right, similarly at striking right angles - both to the parent branch, and to the neighboring pairs of branches. The leaves, also borne in opposite pairs, are small, light green and glossy, while the flowers appear in Spring as dense creamy-yellow clusters. Each tree produces both male and female flowers, but they are functionally uni-sexual. Canthium inerme - Cape Town 5

Another distinctive characteristic of this tree is the small, tough

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s which appear soon after flowering and stay on the tree for much of the year. They are initially smooth and green, but they soon become black and dry, and remain firmly attached in small bunches to the tree. They are relished by birds which are consequently greatly attracted by this tree, however they are also edible for humans. Its one or more trunks can become twisted and knotted in larger specimens, and are generally a smooth, pale grey.

Uses

In a garden, this hardy

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

tree attracts birds, while also serving as a possible security hedge. To assure a typical tree shape, prune off the lower branches. It is known to grow very easily from seed. The foliage and typically twisted trunk of a fully grown tree: File:Canthium inerme - turkey berry tree - Cape Town.JPG File:Turkeyberry tree - Newlands forest - Canthium inerme 2.jpg

References

External links

PlantZAfrica.com: ''Canthium inerme''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5033789 inerme Afromontane flora Flora of Mozambique Flora of South Africa Flora of Swaziland Flora of Zimbabwe Plants used in traditional African medicine Trees of South Africa Trees of Mediterranean climate