Schotia afra var. afra pod beginnings

A newly formed Schotia afra var. afra pod is green or reddish and fleshy, flat and curving when the seeds start growing inside. The remains of the flower’s style persist for a while at the pod tip. There is a thickening of the stem where the pod is attached to its stalk.

In olden times the indigenous people and early settlers used to eat the seeds; either still partly green, or when ripe. They were roasted and ground into meal. Without supermarkets food shortage spurs ingenuity. Also incurs accidents from ingesting poison, and the relatives learning the hard way (Coates Palgrave, 2002; iNaturalist).