Dobera glabra Juss. ex Poir.

A much-branched evergreen shrub or tree, up to 1.8–7.5 m. tall; bark green to dark grey, fissured into rectangular patches; wood pale butter-yellow when cut.. Leaves olive-green, opposite; lamina coriaceous, elliptic to ovate or obovate, rarely lanceolate or orbicular, 1.5–9 cm. long, 0.7–5.6 cm. wide, mostly obtuse but often acute, usually mucronulate, glabrous or if glands present, then extremely minute but dense; venation often obscure, though sometimes prominent and reticulate; petiole 3.5–4 mm. long.. Flowers white, 3.5–5 mm. long (mostly large in the Flora area but smaller in India and Arabia), in axillary and terminal panicles.. Calyx minutely papillate.. Staminal tube sometimes with small teeth alternating with the upper free parts of the filaments.. Ovule solitary in the ovary.. Fruit oblong-ellipsoid, (1.8–)1.9–2.4 cm. long, 1–1.3 cm. across.. Seeds ovoid, flattened, 12 mm. long, 7.5 mm. wide.. Fig. 2/11–14.

A tropical plant. It produces better during times of drought. It grows in dry areas and salty soils. In East Africa it grows between 400-1,300 m altitude. It can grow in arid places. It grows in areas with a mean annual rainfall between 100-600 mm.

The ripe fruit pulp is eaten raw. The kernels are eaten after repeated boiling or cooking for up to 24 hours. If it is eaten in large amounts it can cause stomach upsets. Gum from the tree is eaten.

Plants can be grown from fresh seeds. They are sown directly where they are to grow. It can be cut back and will re-grow.