STAMVRUG

 (Englerophytum magalismontanum)

 

A tree of stamvrug

Synonym: Bequaertiodendron magalismontanum, Pouteria magalismontana, Chrysophyllum magalismontanum

Family: Sapotaceae

English name: Transwal milk plum.

 

Common names: stamvrug, Motlhatswa; Mohlatswa, Munombelo, Amanumbela,

                             UmNumbela

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Stamvrug is one of South Africa's very popular wild fruits, a thirst quencher to be enjoyed whilst walking in the mountains.

This attractive plant is characteristic of rocky outcrops and quartzite ridges, and also occurs in riverine forest fringes of many parts of South Africa.

Description

This is a small to medium size evergreen tree that varies in height from 3-15 m, depending on the habitat it grows in. The taller trees can be found in evergreen forests. It can be single or multistemmed, and may branch at ground level. The bark is greyish, smooth and slightly scaly. The young twigs or branchlets are densely covered with russet-brown hairs.

Stamvrug fruits

The leaves are single, alternatively arranged, and often crowded at the end of branchlets. The young leaves are golden brown and can be found at the tips of the branchlets. The older leaves are glossy dark to blue-green above and covered with a whitish, transparent, waxy bloom that rubs off when touched. From afar it gives the tree a silvery look. The under surface is densely covered with silky golden brown to sometimes silvery hairs. The midrib is very prominent. The margin of the leaf is entire and tightly rolled under. The shape of the leaf is narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate with a rounded apex that sometimes can be notched. The base of the leaf is narrowly tapering, continuing into the rather stout petiole covered with russet-brown hairs.

The flowers are small, rather strongly unpleasantly scented, star-shaped and brownish pink in colour. They are clustered on new and old wood, a few to many flowers per cluster. These trees flower from June to December and sometimes flowers and fruits can be found on the plant at the same time.

The fruit is a berry, ellipsoid to sometimes round, fleshy and contains sticky, milky latex. The fruit is densely crowded on the stems, branches and branchlets, hence the Afrikaans common name stamvrug referring to the fruit forming on the stem. The fruit is bright red when ripe.   

            The fruits are tasty and sweet with very little pink flesh, rich in latex and leathery-skinned. The flowers are similarly crowded on the trunk and branches, and smell strongly of fermenting honey.  The fruits ripen from December to February.

Utilization:

Stamvrug fruits are a good source of vitamin C containing 40 mg of ascorbic acid per 100 g.  These are used for making syrup, jelly, jam, wine and vinegar,   These are also sometimes distilled to produce a strong alcoholic drink known as mampoer.

This plant has medicinal value as well. It is said that powdered roots can be rubbed into incisions made in the skin over affected areas to treat rheumatism, and a decoction is used to treat abdominal pain. It is also said that an infusion of finely powdered roots and fruits has been used to cure epilepsy.

Cultivation:

New plants can be raised from seed.  The best sowing time for seed is January while the seed is still fresh. The germination period is about 37 days and plants are big enough to transplant two months later.

Stamvrug is a hardy, frost and drought resistant plant although rarely cultivated in the trade. It does very well on quartzite outcrops and in rocky areas.

It can be propagated from fresh seed or cuttings.

INPUT FROM

Karin Behr

Pretoria National Botanical Garden

South Africa