Berchemia discolor - Brown Ivory Seeds, Indigenous Evergreen Edible Fruit Tree Medicinal NEW

The genus Berchemia is in the Rhamnaceae family. The genus was named after the Dutch botanist Berthout van Berchem. They are unarmed climbing plants or small to medium-sized shrubs and trees that occur in Africa, Asia and the Americas. The stipules are small and not spiny. The leaves are alternate or opposite to subopposite, petiolate, entire and not 3-veined from the base. The fruits are fleshy drupes, usually carrying two seeds. The genus contains about 12 species of which Berchemia zeyheri and Berchemia discolor are the most popular ones.

Berchemia discolor commonly known as Brown Ivory in English and Bruin-ivoor in Afrikaans is a semi-deciduous to evergreen drought resistant tree with a dense roundish crown. The bark is smooth and grey-green on young twigs and darkens with age. It bears small clusters of yellowish-green flowers. The fruit is a fleshy blue-green berry which ripens to yellow. It is a valuable addition to the garden as a shade tree and the fruits are edible by humans and also attract birds. The roots are used medicinally. A strong alcoholic drink is also distilled from the fruit. The fruit may be eaten boiled with sorghum. A beverage similar to tea is made from the leaves. Large quantities of the fruit are collected, dried and stored and later used by people in the low veld areas of South Africa.