Nandi rubber vine fruit
Landolphia buchananii
A climbing African fruit plant whose identity is difficult to distinguish from a close relative outside flowering.
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Nandi rubber vine fruit is a round African forest fruit with a hard rind and sweet, juicy pulp. It grows on a woody climber that winds through tree canopies, often holding on with strong tendrils made from old flower branches. In Tanzania, the ripe pulp is a fresh snack.
What it is
Landolphia buchananii also goes by the older name Landolphia kilimanjarica. Its fruit measures 4 to 10 cm (1.6 to 4 in) across, with white spots on green skin. Inside the hard rind, ten or more seeds sit in juicy pulp. Apricot vine and rubber vine are other English names; mukanga and muungu are Shona names used in Zimbabwe.
Where it comes from
This vine grows across central, eastern and southern Africa, including Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Its habitats include evergreen forest beside rivers and in mountains, and wetter woodland. In Tanzania, it grows in places including Kagera, Tanga, Kilimanjaro and Mbeya.
How it's eaten where it grows
In Tanzania, people gather ripe fruit from the plant or from the ground, cut through the rind and eat the sweet pulp fresh as a snack. Local names there include Kiwiru in Chagga, Totwe in Pare and Mbungo in Swahili.
How it's grown
The plant grows as a woody shrub or a climbing vine, winding its branches through the canopy of other trees. Scented white flowers can have pink or yellow inside. Old flower branches often become the tendrils that help it climb. New plants can be raised from seeds or cuttings.
When and where you'll find it
In Tanzania, the ripe fruit is usually gathered from May through July for eating fresh, without storage. Forest edges carry more fruit than the deeper forest. In Zimbabwe, this climbing vine also grows at Cecil Kop Nature Reserve in Mutare.
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What it tastes like
In Tanzania, ripe fruit pulp is described as sweet, under the older name Landolphia kilimanjarica — now treated as the same species, L. buchananii.
How to buy it
1EatSpherical green fruit
Eat
Spherical green fruitThe spherical green fruit is edible, though there's no guidance here on preparation or seed handling.
Detroit, Michigan
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Sources
Sources
Nandi rubber vine fruit · Fruitopia · checked Sep 22, 2026