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Vangueria infausta

by Johan Wentzel

Vangueria infausta
Common Name
Wild medlar
Plant Type
Tree
Vangueria infausta is one of South Africa's more popular veld fruits, and can be enjoyed while walking. The edible fruit has a pleasant sweet-sour, mealy taste.It is well suited to a smaller garden or on a rockery.
Plant Description

Indigenous to South Africa, Vangueria infausta is a small to medium, deciduous shrub or tree that is found in almost all of our provinces.

Growing to a height of between 3 to 5 m, the Wild Medlar is a popular, natural fruit tree that is drought resistant and fairly cold resistant, making it ideal for our highveld gardens.  Quite often,it is multi stemmed and branches grow from low down at the base to form a moderately dense ball-shaped crown.  The smooth bark is greyish to yellowish brown and peels in irregular strips to form an interesting texture.

The leaves are light green with soft velvety hairs, especially when young.  As the leaves get older they appear twisted and are rough to the touch.  The Wild Medlar has green to white to creamy yellow flowers from September to November, often appearing before the new leaves.  The flowers are clustered on the small twigs and the petals disappear fairly quickly.  Fruit is borne from summer through to autumn.

Although fairly slow growing, the tree can form an attractive specimen tree in your garden.  It is hardy, once established, and looks very attractive in a rockery where height is needed.  The Wild Medlar will grow in almost any type of soil, as long as it is well drained and can be planted in semi-shade or full sun.

Vangueria infausta is one of South Africa's more popular veld fruits, and can be enjoyed while walking. The edible fruit has a pleasant sweet-sour, mealy taste. It also makes a good jelly. The fruit is plum shaped with a leathery feel and has a pithy flesh that tastes somewhat like apples.  In rural areas the fruit is treated as a delicacy and it’s packed with Vitamin C.  It is a favourite snack for birds and animals alike when it ripens from yellow to brown.  To this day, people utilize the fruit to distil the home-brewed fire-water called ‘mampoer’.  plant is used extensively. It is most common in open, exposed grassland.

You may find stock of this plant at Random Harvest.

Afrikaanse Naam
Wilde mispel
Hardiness
Hardy
Position
Sun
Water Requirements
Water wise
Evergreen
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Moderate
Flowering Time
Spring
Flower Colour
Green
Shape
Round
Soil
Loam
Plant Size
3m
Region
Gauteng, Free State, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, North West
Habitat
Savannah, Rocky outcrops
Grown by Wildflower Nursery
Yes

Trackbacks

  1. Granny's Kitchen - Wildflower Nursery says:
    2017-03-15 at 8:28 am

    […] such as the wild apricot (Dovyalis zeyherii) that makes a nice preserve and the wild medlar (Vangueria infausta) can be pulped and used as an apple pie substitute. The last one worth mentioning that is also a […]

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