Berchemia discolor Hemsl.

Shrubs or trees usually no more than 10 m. tall but reported occasionally to 25 m. and with trunks 5–7 dm. thick; wood very hard and heavy; bark deeply checked and tending to shed in sheets.. Younger branches conspicuously lenticellate; branchlets 2–20 cm. long, leafy, glabrous to densely pubescent with short spreading whitish hairs.. Leaves opposite or nearly so; earliest (lowest) blades of emerging branchlets smallish, elliptic-obovate and blunt, later ones larger, elliptic to ovate-oblong, acute (2–)3–5(–9) cm. long, (l.5–)2–3.5(–6) cm. wide, at the base cuneate or usually rounded, at the apex blunt to acute, green above and glabrous or minutely pubescent near the midrib, beneath slightly paler and microvesiculate and glabrous to densely pubescent with short whitish hairs, on each side of midrib with 6–8 (–9) secondary nerves; petioles (4–)8–10(–13) mm. long, glabrous to pubes-cent.. Stipules intra-axillary, 2–4 mm. long, subulate, united about half the length, all but the basal 0.5–1 mm. quickly deciduous.. Flowers solitary or usually in fascicles of 2–6 in the axils; pedicels 3–5(–7) mm. long in flower, 4–7(–10) mm. in fruit.. Sepals 2–3 mm. long, spreading to reflexed at anthe-sis.. Petals 1.8–2.2 mm. long, spreading or weakly arcuate-ascending.. Style 1 mm. long, bifid a fourth to a third the length.. Disk free from the ovary though thick near its base.. Fruit 12–20 mm. long, 7–11 mm. thick, yellow.. Fig. 10.

A tropical plant. It grows in dry forest. It grows at low altitude in South Africa. In East Africa it grows from sea level to 1,600 m altitude. It is damaged by frost or cold winds. It is drought resistant. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 300-635 mm. It can grow in arid places. It is often on termite mounds. It grows in the lowlands and along rivers. It grows in Miombo woodlands.

The ripe fruit are eaten raw or dry. They are also used to flavour porridge. The dried fruit can be stored. The dried fruit (after the kernel is removed) are pounded with millet seeds and made into a biscuit dough and baked. The fruit are also fermented into an alcoholic drink. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer. The fruit can be used for juice, jam and sweets.

Plants can be grown from fresh seeds. The seeds germinate easily. Seedlings can then be transplanted. Seeds can also be sown directly in the field. Plants can also be grown from root suckers.