Diospyros mespiliformis, a female tree

The fruit of the jackal-berry is found only on some of the trees as the species is dioecious, i.e. the sexes occur on separate trees. The fruit is a fleshy berry, ovoid to almost spherical in shape and up to 2,5 cm in diameter. It has a bristle-like tip, (remains of the style) and four to five persistent, wavy calyx lobes at the base. The young, green fruits have short surface hairs that disappear as the skin hardens. The colour changes to yellow and purple as they ripen.

In the photo some persistent dry remains of the Diospyros mespiliformis flowers of the previous season can be seen. This is a female tree as a fruit is also present. These dead flowers have for some reason never developed into fruits.

Jackal-berry flowers are cream to pale yellow, about 1,2 cm long. The flowers are bell-shaped and fragrant. Flowers grow in leaf axils; the female ones solitary, male ones in stalked clusters. There are creamy grey hairs on the calyx and flower stalks. Flowering occurs around midspring (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Grant and Thomas, 2001; Venter and Venter, 1996; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997).