''Diospyros lycioides'', commonly called the bushveld bluebush, is a species of African ''
Diospyros
''Diospyros'' is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark tim ...
'', trees and shrubs in the family
Ebenaceae
The Ebenaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to order Ericales. The family includes ebony and persimmon among about 768 species of trees and shrubs. It is distributed across the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world. It ...
. It is native to central and southern Africa, except the winter-rainfall area. It grows in Australia and is known as a weed there. Many parts of the plant are used: the wood, the roots and stems for toothbrushes, the fruits for alcoholic drinks, and the roots and bark in traditional medicine.
It can form thickets, and it usually grows up to three meters high, though at its tallest it can be eight meters.
It is one of twenty species of ''
Diospyros
''Diospyros'' is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark tim ...
'' in South Africa.
It has 3-4 subspecies, including ''D. l.'' subsp. ''lycioides'', ''D. l.'' subsp. ''guerkei'', ''D. l.'' subsp. ''nitens'', and ''D. l.'' subsp. ''sericea''.
Uses
Its root and stem are used as toothbrushes, and its wood is used for spoons, toys, construction, and furniture.
In South Africa, its fruits are used to make beer and other alcoholic drinks, and its seeds are used as a coffee substitute.
It also has many medicinal uses, including treating cold and coughs by chewing the roots, and using the powdered bark of the root as an abortifacient.
Its leaves are food for the Mooi River opal butterfly (''
Chrysoritis lycegenes
''Chrysoritis lycegenes'', the Mooi River opal, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa, where it is known from northern KwaZulu-Natal to Mpumalanga, along the Drakensberg escarpment to Mariepskop in Limpopo province. ...
'') and its flowers are attractive to many animals, namely bees and a few African birds.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15235703
Diospyros
Flora of Africa