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Phyllogeiton discolor
Also called Brown ivory, Mountain Date, Wild Date, Wild Almond
Birdplum is a broadleaf tree from southern and eastern Africa and Madagascar, growing to about 18 m, valued for its sweet edible fruit and hard wood. It is grown mainly as an ornamental or shade tree in seasonally dry tropical areas, and is rarely grown as a container plant.
Phyllogeiton discolor (syn. Berchemia discolor), known as bird plum or brown ivory in English, is a tree native to southern and eastern Africa including Madagascar. It is a broadleaf tree growing to 18 m (60 ft).
The fruits, resembling dates, are edible with sweet flesh surrounding 1-2 flat seeds. They are occasionally sold in local markets, eaten fresh, or dried and pounded and then added to pearl millet pap for their sweet flavour. Animals such as monkeys, baboons and birds also eat them.
The leaves are eaten by elephants, giraffe and several antelopes, as well as livestock, such that many trees exhibit a distinct browse line. The wood is hard and attractive, suitable for furniture, charcoal, building material, beehives, crafts, and things like tool handles and pestles.
Phyllogeiton discolor is also used as a dye, fodder, ornamental tree and as herbal medicine to treat several human and animal diseases and ailments. For instance, the Himba people cook the bark against nausea and diarrhoea.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Phyllogeiton discolor 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.
