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Balanites angolensis, the Angolan green-thorn, is a small semi-deciduous tree or shrub from dry southern Africa that grows up to about 8 m tall, with yellow or green thorns and orange ovoid fruit. It is a species of the caltrop family Zygophyllaceae and is best suited to hot, dry, sunny conditions with minimal water.
Balanites angolensis, or Angolan green-thorn, is a species of tree from southern Africa, it is a member of the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae.
Balanites angolensis is found in Angola, Botswana and north eastern Namibia.
The fruit is edible, the branches are used by the Himba for fencing and the roots are used by the Himba to treat breast complaints in nursing mothers by inhaling the smoke of the burning roots and by making an ointment out of the ashes and smearing this on the breasts. Extracts from the tree are also used to treat genitourinary system disorders.
Desert date · Balanites glabra · Small Green Thorn · Balanites rotundifolia · Desert Date · Balanites wilsoniana
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Balanites angolensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
