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Native East African Fruit Trees

Fruits are full of nature’s essential nutrients, antioxidants, and health benefits. They are also ready for use by people. Below is a list of native East African fruit trees and other edible plants that have been used historically or are still being used today.

A major benefit of incorporating native edible plants is that they have adapted to suit local environmental conditions. They have adapted to soil type, temperature, and rainfall so they require less maintenance to keep them healthy.

Unlike the fruit trees of American and Asian origin, Africa’s fruit trees have not been recognized internationally in the commodity markets. Fruit production in Africa is predominately dominated by international fruit species introduced from tropical Americas and Asia. These introduced species, include Banana, Citrus, Mango, Papaya, Pineapple and others. The international fruit known and used by the local people continues to cause the downward spiral of knowledge and cultivation of local fruits. Thus, useful African wild plants have become threatened.

Consider this list of plants as a lesson in ethnobotany rather than a set menu of native plants. Some of the plants on this list may have only one edible portion while other parts of the plant may be toxic. Some could be toxic if prepared incorrectly.

Even if you prefer other fruit and vegetable options, consider growing one or two indigenous plants in your garden to help foster biodiversity and support native wildlife. You may just find they grow and produce far better than the imported fruit trees.

Tamarind - photo by gerjhe, iNaturalist

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)

Edible: Fruit
Description: Evergreen tree 25m tall
Native to: tropical africa
Use: Pod-like fruits that contain an edible sweet, tangy pulp.
Growing: High resistance to drought and aerosol salt. It is drought-resistant, making it a good source of food during dry periods.
Video: The best survival Fruit in the world

Shea butter tree - photo by oebenin, iNaturalist

Shea butter tree (Vitelleria paradoxa)

Edible: Fruit pulp and flowers
Description: Deciduous tree 7–25m tall, Produces nuts after 10-15 years for up to 200 years. Tree needs to be replaced 10-15 years before it stops bearing fruit as the new trees take 10-15 years to produce fruit.
Native to: Drier lowland African tropics
Use: The fruit pulp is first removed for food, or by fermentation or boiling it has a sweet taste. The kernel of the seed contains a vegetable fat known as shea butter which is used as a cooking fat.
Video: Shea butter is womans gold

African boabab - Photo by boogan_boy iNatutalist

African boabab (Adansonia digitata)

Edible: Fruit, young leaves & seeds
Description: Succulent, deciduous tree 20m tall
Native to: Hot and dryer tropical Africa
Growing: Sensitive to water clogging and frost. Pollinated by bats, bush babies & hawk moths.
Use: The fruit pulp, seeds, leaves and flowers of the baobab are all edible.The fruit pulp is high in vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, carbohydrates, fibers, potassium, proteins and lipids. Leaves are used in West Africa as a soup vegetable.
Conservation: Considered threatened due to mining, development, desertification and overuse of fruit.
Video: Cooking baobab leaves

Hog plum - photo by kemper, iNaturalist

Hog plum (Ximenia americana)

Edible: Fruit
Description: Shrub/small tree 2-7m
Native to: Tropical africa
Use: The fruit is "refreshing" when eaten and is said to have "an almond-acid taste" high in vitamin C.
Ecology: Host plant of the bush scarlet butterfly and the bowkers Safire. The fruit attracts birds, such as bulbuls, starlings, and barbets, and other wildlife.
Growing: Drought-resistant, making it a good source of food during dry periods. Produce fruit after about 3 years of growing.

Coral clusterpear - photo by subbi, iNaturalist

Coral clusterpear (Uvaria scheffleri)

Edible: Fruit
Description: Scrambling shrub or small tree, more commonly a climbing shrub, growing 1-4m tall.
Native to: East Tropical Africa
Use: Ripe fruits are edible and sweet.

Sycamore fig - Photo byglennstockil, iNaturalist

Sycamore fig (Ficus sycomorus)

Edible: Fruit and leaves
Description: Tree 20m tall (wide spread)
Native to: Dry parts of tropical Africa such as the Sahel region.
Use: The mature fruits are eaten fresh, stewed, or dried and stored for later use. The leaves are used in soups and groundnut dishes.
Growing: Sensitive to frost.

Black plum - Photo by mohamed-saoukpai iNaturalist

Black plum (Vitex doniana)

Edible: Fruit, leaves & seeds
Description: Deciduous tree 4–8m tall
Use: Fruit which tastes like prunes can be eaten raw, cooked or candied. It contains vitamins A and B. Young twigs and leaves are an esteemed vegetable. Seeds are roasted and used to make a coffee-like drink.
Toxicity: The sawdust from the wood has been known to cause dermatitis.

Borassus palm - photo by

iles-ecologiques, iNaturalist

Borassus palm (Borassus aethiopum)

Edible: Fruit
Description: Evergreen tree 25m tall
Use: The fruit is edible fresh, dried, or cooked. Fruit juice can be obtained from immature fruits. The ripe, fallen fruit are collected, peeled.
Growing: The tree is drought-resistant and an excellent fire break. Can take up to 40 years for the female palm to start producing fruit.
Video: Exploration of borassus aethiopum

Jackalberry - Photo by richard_johnstone iNaturalist

Jackalberry (Diospyros mespiliformis)

Edible: Fruit
Description: Tree 4-5m tall
Use: Fruit flavor has been described as lemon-like, with a chalky consistency when unripe, and sweet fleshy when ripe. On average the fruit contains 2-5 brown seeds. Most people prefer letting them dry before eating, and the dry ones are stored and consumed as a snack when the fresh fruit goes out of season. They are sometimes preserved, can be dried and ground into a flour, and are often used for brewing beer and brandy.
Toxicity: Sawdust causes dermatitis after continuous contact.

Amalera - Photo by bartwursten, iNaturalist

Amalera (Vangueria apiculata)

Edible: Fruit
Description: Deciduous shrub/tree 12m tall
Native to: East tropical africa
Use: Fruit has a sweet flavour and is often eaten as a snack. The fruit is mostly eaten raw but can be dried and stored to be used in time of food scarcity.
Growing: Tolerates some drought

Wild date palm - Photo by bartwursten, iNaturalist

Wild date palm (Phoenix reclinata)

Edible: Fruit
Description: A clumping evergreen palm 15m tall
Native to: dry tropical Africa
Use: Fruit is edible and taste similar to the commercial date.
Ecology: Attracts fruit eating birds and is the host plant of the nightfighter butterfly (Zophopetes dysmephila)
Growing: Tolerates salt-spray, and moderate drought where the water table is permanently high. It is naturally found in alluvial soils in positions such as near the banks of streams where there is permanent access to ground water, even if deep down.

Climbing numnum photo by

rob_palmer

Climbing numnum (Carissa edulis)

Edible: Fruit (Only once fully ripe)
Description: Hardy, evergreen, shrub 3m tall
Native to: Dry tropical Africa
Use: Fruits are edible, the milky red pulp having a pleasant sweet taste and being much sought after. The fruit can be fermented to make a refreshing pink wine or left longer to make vinegar.
Ecology: Leaves are browsed by kudu, nyala, bushbuck, impala and grey duiker and the fruit eaten by kudu, grey duiker, baboons , monkeys and bush pigs. Birds favour the tree for nest building, and fruit eating birds (francolins, louries, hornbills, barbets and bulbuls) love the fruits.
Toxicity: Fruit is edible, but only when fully ripe. The milky sap and unripe fruit are poisonous.
Hedge: Can be made into a hedge.

Cape fig - Photo by waveneyrichardson, iNaturalist

Cape Fig (Ficus sur)

Edible: Fruit
Description: Massive spreading tree 5-12m
Native to: Tropical Eastern and Southern Africa
Use: The figs are edible and utilized in fresh or dried form.
Ecology: Host plant of the African map butterfly, fig tree moth, accented hawk moth, common fig-tree blue, and lesser fig-tree blue.
Toxicity: Both root and bark are toxic. The wood is also recorded as causing dermatitis.
Growing: Plants have an aggressive root system

Monkey bread/Camel-foot tree - jonathan_whitaker, iNaturalist

Monkey bread/Camel-foot tree (Piliostigma thonningii)

Edible: Fruit pulp
Description: Deciduous tree with a single stem, 3-15m tall
Native to: Tropical Africa, from Sudan to South Africa
Use: Fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. The pulp surrounding the seed is eaten, it has a sweet flavor. The leaves can be cooked as a vegetable or chewed to relieve thirst. It is a pioneer legume species and fixes atmospheric nitrogen. It is therefore useful when restoring woodland or setting up a woodland garden. It produces considerable amounts of leaf litter, that can be used as mulch and enhances soil fertility.
Ecology: Cattle and elephants browse the leaves. Baboons eat young pods during winter months when fresh food is scarce. It's a host of a bushveld Charaxes butterfly larva. It also attracts many insects during the flowering season.
Growing: The seed has a hard seed coat and benefits from scarification before sowing, which will speed up and improve germination. The tree competes very little with maize when left in fields.

Spiny monkey orange - Photo by louwsiNaturalist

Spiny monkey orange (Strychnos spinosa)

Edible: Ripe fruit
Description: Tree 4-5m tall
Native to: Dry tropical & subtropical Africa
Use: The smooth, hard fruit are large and green, ripen to yellow colour. The sweet-sour pulp of a ripe fruit is edible. The fruits tend to appear only after good rains. Leaves are occasionally used as a vegetable
Toxicity: The seeds and unripe fruit are toxic.
Growing: It can withstand occasional light frosts.

Bambara groundnut

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea)

Edible: Underground pods
Description: Annual creeping plant
Native to: Semi-arid Africa
Use: Pods ripen underground, much like the peanut. They can be eaten fresh or boiled after drying, and can be ground either fresh or dry to make puddings.
Video: African Crops For The Future Ep04: Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)

Okra by jagerlok iNaturalist

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)

Edible: Fruit pod and leaves
Description: Flowering plant 2m tall
Native to: Okra is native to East Africa
Use: Pods are cooked, pickled, eaten raw, or included in salads. Young okra leaves may be cooked similarly to the greens of beets or dandelions, or used in salads.
Growing: Okra is heat and drought-tolerant.

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Reforest The World, Food Forest, Plant Native Trees, Permaculture, Plant a tree, Crop Diversity, Edible Garden, Drought, Forest Garden, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique.

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