Coastal red milkwood fruit

What it is

The egg-shaped fruit reaches about 2.5 cm (1 in) long. Inside, the single seed takes up 1–1.5 cm (about ½ in), leaving a layer of sweet pulp around it. Orange to red is its ripe colour.

The tree belongs to the Sapotaceae family. Before the fruit develops, small white or cream flowers open like stars among the leaves.

Where it comes from

This is a fruit of the southeastern African coast, including Port Alfred and Bathurst in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, Durban in KwaZulu-Natal and Maputo in Mozambique. It grows in sandy coastal thickets and in the forest sheltered behind them. Outside its native home, people also plant it as an ornamental tree in the United States.

How it's eaten where it grows

In South Africa, people pick the fruit and eat it raw. The same pulp also goes into jelly and alcoholic drinks. Its sweetness comes with a starchy, mealy texture, so a fresh fruit feels more like a soft, floury bite than a mouthful of juice.

How it's grown

Wind shapes this tree. On exposed dunes it often stays below 5 m (16 ft), with salt spray and sea winds battering its leaves. Behind the dunes, sheltered trees can reach 20 m (66 ft). The trunk is often twisted, with dark grey, wrinkled bark.

Growers raise it from seed in full sun; young garden trees need water through dry spells. It also helps reclaim sand dunes. Monkeys eat the fruit and carry its seeds, while Cape parrots feed on the fruit in Eastern Cape forests.