''Dovyalis'' is a genus of

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s and small trees. Recent genetic evidence has shown the genus to belong to the family Salicaceae; formerly it was classified in the family Flacourtiaceae. The 15 species are native to Africa ( Ethiopia south to South Africa) and southern Asia ( India,

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

). Some are cultivated for their fruit.

Description

They are dense, thorny plants growing to 3–6 m tall, with sharp, 3–6 cm long stem spines in the leaf

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

s. Buds at the base of the spine produce clusters of alternately arranged simple ovate

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

3–10 cm long. The flowers are inconspicuous, solitary or clustered, with no petals. They are

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

, with male and female flowers on separate plants. The fruit is an edible, yellow to purple globose

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

2–4 cm diameter, containing several small seeds. They are very juicy and with an

acid In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...

ic flavour.

Cultivation and uses

Several species are grown for their fruit; '' D. caffra'' (Umkokola or Kei-apple) is popular in southern Africa, and '' D. hebecarpa'' (Kitembilla) in India and Sri Lanka. Some, notably ''D. abyssinica'', are also grown as ornamental plants and as

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate a road from adjoini ...

s, where the spines are valued for deterring intrusion by livestock or burglars. The

tropical apricot The tropical apricot or ketcot is a hybrid thorny shrub cultivated for its fruit. It arose naturally in Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of M ...

, or ketcot, is a hybrid between '' D. hebecarpa'' and '' D. abyssinica'' that was developed in Florida in 1953 and is cultivated for its fruit.

References

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q611140 Salicaceae genera Dioecious plants