Gymnosporia buxifolia fruit

The fruit of the common spike-thorn may be found on the tree almost any time during the year. The irregular shape of the fruits can be observed in the photo. Old fruit become tough and wrinkled. They contain one to four red brown, glossy seeds. Each has a thin yellow aril attachment that covers half of the seed.

An aril is a specialised outgrowth joined to the seed at the point where it links with the plant. The aril is an edible enticement sought by certain animals that will transport the seed when eating the non-vital part, thus assisting in dispersal of the intact seed. The aril on the seeds of a particular plant species will be of value to one or more particular animal species that have been adapted to perform the mutually beneficial function (Wikipedia; Coates Palgrave, 2002).