Names: Ngai or wild medlar

Appearance: They are initially green and glossy fruit and appear in the summer,.They develop into unevenly shaped, glossy, tan-coloured plums, that contain soft fleshy pulp and fairly large seeds

Tags: african medlar | fruits | medlar | ngai

Vangueria infausta, the medlar or African medlar, is a species of plant native to the southern and eastern Africa. Some other names include mmilo in Northern Sotho, muzwilu in Venḓa, umviyo in Southern Ndebele, mothwani in Tswana and umtulwa in Zulu. The fruits are consumed by humans and have a pleasant apple-like flavor. The specific name infausta alludes to a superstition that an evil spirit lives within the tree and the misfortune from its use as firewood which is said to 'unlock' the evil spirit from the wood. Many indigenous african names for V. infausta come from the Proto-Bantu mìdìdò (plural "fires").

This little-known fruit has the potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable land care. The fruit are consumed raw or the pulp may be dried and stored for later use, while the seeds may be roasted. Goats and game browse on the leaves, while other animals may consume the fruit on the tree, or after they are shed on the ground. The roots and leaves are used by traditional healers