Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Dovyalis caffra - Key Apple
Edible Portion: Fruit
A spiny shrub. It grows up to 6-9 m tall. It has long straight spines on the trunk and branches. They are about 3 cm long. The bark is white when young. The leaves are simple and carried one after another along the stem. The edges of the leaves roll back slightly. The leaves are dark green and glossy. Plants are separately male and female. The female flowers are 3 mm long and light green. They occur as 1-3 together in the axils of leaves. The male flowers are in dense short clusters in the axils of leaves. The fruit are medium sized and yellow. They are round and 2.5-4 cm across. The skin is tough. The fruit are edible.