Soap berry, Dune soap-berry
A tropical plant. It grows in coastal open woodland, dune bush and forest. It is damaged by frost. It needs well drained soil and plenty of compost.
Also known as:
Idololenkau, Igololenkawu, Iphengulula, Kumbuta, Masibele, Muaka, Si'rangelanguva, Tiica-mahcimo, Tirangelangwa
Synonyms
- Rhus oblongifolia E. Mey. ex Arn.
- Hippobromus oblongifolius (E. Mey.) Drege
- Sapindus oblongifolius (E. Mey. ex Arn.) Sond.
Edible Portion
- Fruit, Leaves
Where does Soap berry grow?
Found in: Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland
Status: The fruit are eaten especially by children. The leaves are a famine food.
Growing Soap berry, Dune soap-berry
Cultivation: Plants can be grown from seeds. Seed should be collected from fruit starting to dry on the tree. The seed should be cleaned and sown shallowly into the soil in a nursery bed. Seeds germinate in 3-12 weeks. Seedlings are transplanted when the first adult leaf appears.
Edible Uses: The fruit are eaten raw.
Production: Seedlings grow slowly at first but more quickly later.
Nutrition Info
per 100g edible portion| Edible Part | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Iron (mg) | Vitamin A (ug) | Vitamin c (mg) | Zinc (mg) | % Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
References
Cunningham, 1985,
Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 332
Joffe, P., 2007, Creative Gardening with Indigenous Plants. A South African Guide. Briza. p 69
Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
Palgrave, K.C., 1996, Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. p 529
Palmer, E and Pitman, N., 1972, Trees of Southern Africa. Vol. 2. A.A. Balkema, Cape Town p 1351
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 180
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 100
Schmidt, E., Lotter, M., & McCleland, W., 2007, Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park. Jacana Media p 370
Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
Venter, F & J., 2009, Making the most of Indigenous Trees. Briza. p 122