Halleria lucida fruit

The fruit of Halleria lucida are broadly ovoid to almost spherical, about 1 cm long. They are fleshy and black when ripe.

The green ones in picture still show the persistent styles, long and thread-like on the fruit tips; often also still found on the ripe fruit. Small, pointed calyx lobes persist at the back of each fruit. The fruit hang in clusters from long stalks, often on old wood in the shade of the leaves. The fruits are usually seen on the tree from the onset of winter.

These fruits are edible, somewhat sweet, but dry in the mouth and not much sought after. The common name of kinderbessie (children berry), shared with the other well-known species, H. elliptica, suggests popularity in places where children can still roam the countryside freely, know the veld and eat whatever they have learnt to be safe.

The opposite positioning of the leaves on their sturdy stalks can be seen in the photo. Leaf stalks become up to 1 cm long. There are also some serrated leaf margins visible (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Pooley, 1993).