THE KEI APPLE
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dovyalis caffra x D. hebecarpa
FAMILY: Salicaceae (formerly Flacourtiaceae)
The Kei apple is a large evergreen spiny shrub native to South Africa, and it's often used in tropical regions as a barrier or hedge plant. The small green leaves are shiny and attractive, but the conspicuous feature about the plant is its long sharp thorns, often two inches or more in length.
Plants come separate sexes and usually produce flowers during the late winter. The tiny yellowish-cream flowers are small and almost inconspicuous, but are produced in large numbers. Fruits generally are one to two inches in diameter with a thin yellow skin, and a yellow juicy pulp which has several small seeds.
The pulp is used often to make jams and jellies which are high quality and reminds many people of apricot. The juice also makes an excellent addition to many tropical punches and the kei apple makes excellent ice cream as well. Fruit production is quite high on plants which have nearby males for cross-pollination.
The kei apple grows well on a wide variety of soil types and is considered highly drought-resistant, too. It is often used in some areas as living fences, since with its spiny nature nothing will cross areas where these are planted.
Trees grow to about 18 to 20 feet at maturity, and are propagated by seeds, although it can also be propagated by air layering. When planting seed, it has been found that often all seeds from a particular plant may be one sex, so this has led many people to propagate plants asexually so they know what type plant they are getting.
The kei apple is quite cold hardy and will take temperatures down into the mid-twenties (Fahrenheit) without injury, which allows it be planted over a wide area. There are few if any pest problems with kei apple, so if you like a good quality fruit tasting much like an apricot, although a little bit more acid, try planting this in your landscape.
DATE: May 1997
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