Mimusops obtusifolia is an evergreen shrub perhaps only 150cm tall when growing close to the sea shore but more usually becomes a much-branched, spreading tree growing up to 20 metres tall.
The tree is sometimes harvested from the wild as a local source of food and wood.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitat

Lowland dry evergreen forest, riverine forest and coastal evergreen thicket, at elevations from sea level to 800 metres.

Cultivation Status

Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw.
A sweet-tasting flesh, it is usually eaten as a snack and the seeds discarded.
The fruit is a round, orange-red berry with a tough skin, up to 25mm in diameter containing 1 - 5 dark shiny seeds.

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses

The tree provides good shade.

Other Uses

The wood is hard and heavy.
It is used for poles, tool handles, spoons, dhow building, carvings, gunstocks, bedsteads and clogs.
The wood is used for fuel.

Propagation

Seed