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Harpephyllum caffrum
Anacardiaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Harpephyllum caffrum

Harpephyllum caffrum

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthFast

Succeeds in tropical and subtropical climates[1]. Plants are intolerant of frost[2, 3]. Tolerant of a wide range of soils, including poor soils[2, 1]. Succeeds in dry soils[1]. The tree is fast-growing and also responds well to coppicing when young[4]. The branches are quite brittle and can break off in high winds[5]. Plants are dioecious, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit is required[2].

Propagation

Seed - easily grown from seeds[295. Stored seeds should be soaked in water for a day and then scrubbed with a brush to remove the fleshy part[3]. It should not be planted too deeply as it can easily rot. The seeds take 7 to 11 days to germinate[3]. Cuttings and truncheons[3]. The truncheons should be dried before planting; they can be left lying in the shade for a day or until all exudate has dried. The hole in which the truncheon is going to be planted should be filled with a layer of river sand to promote root formation and improve drainage[3]. This also helps to combat fungal diseases[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Harpephyllum+caffrum>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory — Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M. · U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service · 1987 ↩︎A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]PlantZAfrica.com — http://www.plantzafrica.com ↩︎An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
  4. [4]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  5. [5]Desert Tropicals — http://www.desert-tropicals.com/ ↩︎The main focus of the site is succulent plants, but it also contains information on a wide range of other species. Usually at least one good photograph, plus basic information about the plant and its cultivation.
  6. [6]Flora Zambesiaca — http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html ↩︎An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
  7. [7]Silva Capensis — Pappe L. · Ward & Co.; London. · 1862 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A work on the useful trees and shrubs of S. Africa, written in 1862. Mainly looking at ways of exploiting the plants, but also deals with some traditional uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  8. [8]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  9. [9]Report on the Natal Forests — Fourcade H.G. · Wm. ;, Natal · 1889 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Contains a list of the trees of Natal, with a brief listing of their uses, including many traditional uses. The report can be downloaded from the Internet.