Mimusops caffra
Encyclopedia
Mimusops caffra is a species of tree in family Sapotaceae
. This tree is commonly known as the Coastal Red Milkwood and is found in coastal dune vegetation from the Eastern Cape
of South Africa
to southern Mozambique
.
) behind the littoral zone, where it can reach 20 m in height with some protection from the salt wind where forests develop with canopies as tall as 30 m.
The leaves are alternate, hard and leathery with rounded or blunt tips. Older leaves are blue-green above and paler on the underside. Young leaves are light green.
The creamy-white star-like flowers are 10 - 20 mm in diameter and found in small bunches in the leaf axils.
The fruits are about 15-20 mm long and are fat, roundish to oval, red or orange-red when ripe, with a sweet starchy pulp and contain 1 oval, shiny brown or blackish seed.
s, Bushpig
s, Cape Parrot
s, Black-bellied Glossy Starlings and Yellow-streaked Bulbul
s. These trees serve to lift the vegetative canopy in coastal dune vegetation, thereby allowing space and protection for more delicate plant species such as Isoglossa woodii
(which is fed on by Blue Duiker
) and the Large-leaved Dragon Tree (Dracaena aletriformis
). The robust structure of these trees also allows support for climbing plants such as Rhoicissus rhomboidea
. Monkeys and birds spread the seeds of Mimusops caffra, which are also buoyant and often wash up along the shore.
Sapotaceae
Sapotaceae is a family of flowering plants, belonging to order Ericales. The family includes approximately 800 species of evergreen trees and shrubs in approximately 65 genera . Distribution is pantropical....
. This tree is commonly known as the Coastal Red Milkwood and is found in coastal dune vegetation from the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to southern Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
.
Description
Mimusops caffra is a small to medium sized tree. The stem is up to 50 cm in diameter, often gnarled or twisted with dark grey bark which is wrinkled longitudinally. These trees may reach 15 m to 25 m in height, but are shorter on the seaward side of the dunes where they rarely exceed 5m tall and where the foliage suffers under salt spray and sea winds. It may be dominant in sheltered coastal forest (Dune ForestKwaZulu-Natal Dune Forest
KwaZulu-Natal Dune Forest is a subtropical forest type that was once found almost continuously along the coastal dunes of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This vegetation type develops in sheltered areas behind the littoral zone, where with some protection from the salt wind it may develop with...
) behind the littoral zone, where it can reach 20 m in height with some protection from the salt wind where forests develop with canopies as tall as 30 m.
The leaves are alternate, hard and leathery with rounded or blunt tips. Older leaves are blue-green above and paler on the underside. Young leaves are light green.
The creamy-white star-like flowers are 10 - 20 mm in diameter and found in small bunches in the leaf axils.
The fruits are about 15-20 mm long and are fat, roundish to oval, red or orange-red when ripe, with a sweet starchy pulp and contain 1 oval, shiny brown or blackish seed.
Ecological Significance
The fruit are eaten by people, Vervet MonkeyVervet Monkey
The vervet monkey , or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus....
s, Bushpig
Bushpig
The bushpig, Potamochoerus larvatus, is a member of the pig family and lives in forests, woodland, riverine vegetation and reedbeds in East and Southern Africa. Probably introduced populations are also present in Madagascar and the Comoros archipelago. Bushpigs are mainly nocturnal. There are...
s, Cape Parrot
Cape Parrot
The Cape Parrot or Levaillant's Parrot is a large, temperate forest dwelling Poicephalus parrot endemic to South Africa. It has 2 subspecies which may be considered distinct species, the savanna dwelling Brown-necked Parrot and Grey-headed Parrot The Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus) or...
s, Black-bellied Glossy Starlings and Yellow-streaked Bulbul
Yellow-streaked Bulbul
The Yellow-streaked Greenbul or Yellow-streaked Bulbul is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe...
s. These trees serve to lift the vegetative canopy in coastal dune vegetation, thereby allowing space and protection for more delicate plant species such as Isoglossa woodii
Isoglossa woodii
Isoglossa woodii is commonly known as Buckweed. It is a monocarpic shrub of the family Acanthaceae, growing up to 4m tall. It grows in colonies in coastal forest areas of KwaZulu-Natal and marginally into the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa....
(which is fed on by Blue Duiker
Blue Duiker
Blue Duiker is a small forest dwelling duiker found in the Central Africa and southern South Africa.Blue Duikers stand around 35 centimetres tall at the shoulder and weigh 4 kilograms.They are the smallest of the antelope family. Blue Duikers have a brown coat with a slight blue tinge – hence...
) and the Large-leaved Dragon Tree (Dracaena aletriformis
Dracaena aletriformis
Dracaena aletriformis is commonly known as the Large-leaved Dragon Tree. These plants are found in forest in the eastern areas of South Africa from Port Elizabeth to northern and eastern Gauteng. They are also found in Swaziland, but are most common in the coastal and dune forests of...
). The robust structure of these trees also allows support for climbing plants such as Rhoicissus rhomboidea
Rhoicissus rhomboidea
Rhoicissus rhomboidea is a climbing plant in the Vitaceae family, commonly known as the Glossy forest grape. It is found in the eastern forests of southern Africa. The species was first described in 1859, treated under Cissus....
. Monkeys and birds spread the seeds of Mimusops caffra, which are also buoyant and often wash up along the shore.