Anthocleista grandiflora fruit

The fruits of Anthocleista grandiflora develop in large clusters at stem-tips. They resemble erect acorns on stout, branched stalks. The likeness ends at the conspicuously long styles persisting on some fruit in picture, tipped with globose, green stigmas.

The fruit is an ellipsoid, fleshy berry with leathery skin and a bluntly pointed tip. It turns brown when ripe, the calyx persisting on the back end. A fruit is 3,5 cm long and 2 cm in diameter, bearing numerous tiny seeds.

Fruits are seen from midsummer to early winter. The photo was taken in March.

Birds and monkeys eat the fruit on the tree. What they drop in the forest are picked up by bushpigs capitalising on waste, wherever those shy animals may still be allowed to roam (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Venter and Venter, 1996).