10 Ozoroa sphaerocarpa Tree Seeds - Currant Resin Tree - Indigenous - Medicinal

Ozoroa is a genus within the Anacardiaceae family (the mango family). This genus has around 40 species and it occurs from the South African to the Arabian Peninsula region. The plants in this genus usually have simple, alternate or whorled leaves that often appear to be discolorous (the two sides unlike in colour), and some plants have a milky latex.
Ozoroa sphaerocarpa commonly known as Currant Resin Tree in English and Korenteharpuisboom in Afrikaans is a small, deciduous, round-crowned tree that can grow up to 7 m in height.
This relatively small currant resin tree, which has small whitish flowers, occurring on separate plants, is of high value to rural communities because of its resistant wood and multipurpose use. The young branches are reddish brown and covered in lenticels and hairs. The bark is dark grey and cracking.

Leaves are alternate or whorled in groups of 3, egg-shaped and covered in soft hairs when young, developing a more quilted appearance with age; the leaf margin is thickened and minutely scalloped attached to a leaf stalk. Inflorescences are attached at the branch apices and they are shorter than the leaves; female inflorescences are looser than male inflorescences; flowers are creamy whitish and occur in spring, September to November. The fruit is small, fleshy and almost round, green with black spots, turning black and wrinkled when mature in December to February. The bark, roots and leaves of this species all have medicinal uses; specifically the tree bark which is used to treat chest inflammation, erectile dysfunction and dysentery. The tree sap is used for birdlime (Unpublished). Old tree trunks are believed to last longer than metal and are used as fence posts and to build livestock kraals; pieces of tree bark are also used to make sour milk (inkomazi).