Harpephyllum afrum

Harpephyllum afrum, commonly known as the wild plum, in Afrikaans as the wildepruim (wild plum) and previously scientifically as H. caffrum, is an evergreen tree bearing edible fruit. It reaches heights from 10 m to 20 m, occasionally 35 m (SA Tree List No. 361). The genus in the Anacardiaceae family is monotypic, as there is only one Harpephyllum species. 

The species distribution is coastal in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, also inland in Mpumalanga and Limpopo. It is also found in eSwatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and maybe elsewhere in East Africa.

The habitat is evergreen and deciduous forests, from sea level to around 1400 m. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

It is very easy to appreciate the popularity of this tree. It grows in many parks and gardens in South Africa and elsewhere. And just as easy to plant one where space allows. The sapling in picture shows just the shiny pinnate (compound) leaves with wavy margins, and a little of the red new growth.

The attractive red fruit, oblong drupes with single seeds, look better than they taste, as they are quite sour. The fruit eating birds, such as louries, Cape parrots, barbets and bulbuls, as wel as animals like baboons, monkeys and bushbabies don’t mind that, are avid consumers (Coates Palgrave, 2002; iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).