English: Poison leaf.
Dutch: Gifblaar.
Region: Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, S. Africa.
Habitat: plateau woodland; tree and shrub savannah; open grassy vegetation; in rocky and sandy soils; gregarious; at elevations up to 1,980 metres; Kalahari sands.
Content: leaves and seeds contain alkaloids; monofluoroacetate, fluoracetic acid, toxic; fluorine.
Cultural: common cause of cattle poisoning in southern Africa.
Use: fruit is edible; other parts of the plant are highly toxic.
Taxonomy: very near to Dichapetalum venenatum, difficult to separate.
BotanySmall shrub.
Stems: many erect, unbranched up to 40cm tall from a creeping, woody rootstock. The plant can form quite large, though not very dense, colonies.
Fruit: bright yellow, yellowish-orange, obovoid, 40 cm long and 25mm in diameter.