Dovyalis caffra (Hook.F. & Harv.) Warb.

Tree or shrub up to 6 m tall, evergreen, dioecious or rarely polygamous, armed with spines up to 6 cm long; bark ashen-white to brown with longitudinal ridges and fissures; ultimate branchlets often much abbreviated, up to about 2 cm long or forming cushion-like structures. Leaves fascicled or, on young shoots, alternate; blade soft to coriaceous, obovate or sometimes elliptic-rhomboid, 2-5.5 cm long, 1-3 cm broad, glabrous or rarely puberulous, with prominent venation on both sides, 3-5-veined from the base, apex acute to obtuse or emarginate, base usually cuneate, margin entire, slightly revolute; petiole 2-4 mm long, glabrous. Male flowers light green, fascicled, with 5-10 flowers in groups of 3; calyx 2-5-lobed; lobes 3 mm long, elliptic, pubescent; stamens numerous; filaments 5 mm long; nectaries hairy. Female flowers light green, solitary or in fascicles of 2-3 on abbreviated shoots; pedicels 4-10 mm long; calyx deeply 5-7-lobed, lobes 3 mm long, elliptic-lanceolate, puberulous, acuminate, somewhat recurved; disc sparsely hairy; ovary 5-7-lobed, unilocular; placentas 5-7, each placenta with 2 ovules; styles 5-7. Fruit subglobose, 3-6 cm in diam., minutely velvety, bright yellow. Seeds many, woolly, 1 cm long.

It is native to S and E Africa. It is subtropical. It can withstand drought but cannot tolerate frosts. They grow naturally in areas with temperatures in the range 14-22°C. Often they grow between 800 and 1200 m altitude but grow up to 2450 m altitude in Kenya. The rainfall where it grows naturally is 1000-1700 mm per year. It needs well drained soils. It is often on termite mounds. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 9-10.

The fruit are eaten fresh and used in jams and desserts. The fruit are acidic. Because the fruit are high in pectins they can be added in small amounts to help jams to jell and set. The green fruit are also pickled.

Plants are grown from seed. Seed are collected from fruit. The ripe fruit are cracked and allowed to rot for one week before removing the seed. There are about 20 seeds in each fruit. The seeds should be sown immediately in a nursery bed. Seedlings come through the soil in 12 days. When bushes are established they need to have their crown thinned out to allow more fruit to be produced. The trees can be used as a fence or hedge. Trees can be grown from cuttings, air layering and grafting. It can be grown as a hedge.