Olmediella betschleriana

Description

They are dense, thorny plants growing to 3-6 m tall, with sharp, 3-6 cm long stem spines in the leaf axils. Buds at the base of the spine produce clusters of alternately arranged simple ovate leaves 3-10 cm long. The flowers are inconspicuous, solitary or clustered, with no petals. They are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. The fruit is an edible, yellow to purple globose berry 2-4 cm diameter, containing several small seeds. They are very juicy and with an acidic flavour.