Strychnos spinosa, the Natal orange, also called mokotra in Madagascar, is a tree indigenous to tropical and subtropical Africa. It produces sweet-sour yellow fruits, containing numerous hard brown seeds. Greenish-white flowers grow in dense heads at the ends of branches (Sep-Feb/Spring - summer). The fruits tend to appear only after good rains. It is related to the deadly Strychnos nux-vomica, which contains strychnine. The fruit are large, smooth, and firm, transitioning from green to yellow as they ripen. Inside the fruit are tightly packed seeds, which may be toxic, surrounded by a fleshy, brown, edible covering.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it poisonous?
Toxic. The note covers its whole genus. Strychnine in seeds Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
- Strychnos cocculoides — toxic
- Strychnos madagascariensis — toxic
- Strychnos decussata — toxic
- Strychnos nux-vomica — considered toxic
Classification
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Tracheophyta
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Order
- Gentianales
- Family
- Loganiaceae
- Genus
- Strychnos
- Species
- Strychnos spinosa
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