Ximenia americana

Ximenia americana is a deciduous straggler with smooth bark and thorns. 
This bush-forming shrub or small tree grows up to 4 m in height. 
The branches form a loose arch downwards and the branchlets have straight, thin, protruding spines that are 1 cm long. It is a dioecious species (both male and female forms need to be grown for fruiting). 
The plant is sometime found as semi-parasitic.

The bark of Ximenia americana is dark brown to pale grey in colour. 
It is smooth to scaly. 
The new branchlets are purple-red with a waxy bloom. 
The tree is armed with straight conical spines.

The leaves of Ximenia americana are simple, growing in alternate arrangement. 
They are clustered on spur shoots. 
The leaves are about 2 cm to 8 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide. 
The leaves have a spear-like to oval shape. 
The base and the apex is obtuse, apiculate, or sometimes emarginate. 
They curve upwards along the midrib. 
The leaves are red and hairy when young, becoming smooth and shiny as they mature.
The petiole is short and thin, less than 1 cm long. 
The leaves are leathery and grey-green in colour. 
When crushed, the young leaves smell of bitter almond.

The flowers of Ximenia americana are small, white-cream or pale pink in colour. 
They are growing in umbellate racemes in terminal or axillary formation. 
The flowers are less than 1 cm in size. 
The peduncles are glabrous and less than 0.5 cm. 
The calyx has 4 to 5 lobes. The petals are 4 or 5 in number. 
The flowers are fragrant.

The fruits of Ximenia americana are smooth globose drupes. 
They are round to ellipsoidal in shape, growing up to 3 cm in diameter. 
The fruit is green when young, becoming yellow or red-orange when ripe. 
The fruits have a green juicy pulp which contains one large endospermic seed inside. 
The fruit is edible, having a refreshing taste.

The seeds of Ximenia americana are woody and 1.5 cm long by 1.2 cm wide. 
They are pale yellow in colour.