Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Sclerocarya birrea - Ethiopian Marvola Nut, Maroola Plum, Marula

Edible Portion: Kernels, Fruit, Nuts, Vegetable, Leaves, Seed, Seeds - oil

A shrub or tree. It grows 9 m high and spreads 6 m wide. It can be 15 m tall. It loses its leaves during the year. The crown is dense and rounded. The bark is grey and finely cracked. The leaves have leaflets along the stalk. The leaves are near the tips of the branches. The edges of the leaflets can be wavy. Plants are separately male and female. Female flowers are reddish and on long stalks at the ends of branches. The fruit are oval or round and 3-4 cm long. They are green but turn yellow as they ripen. The skin is tough and leathery. The pulp is juicy and white. There is one large stone. There are some subspecies.