Ehretia rigida subsp. nervifolia fruit

Balloon-like bright fruit of Ehretia rigida subsp. nervifolia, orange-red to red with a dull shine and close to spherical, invite consumers near the Crocodile River in December to taste them.

The thread-like, dark style persists on the upper end of the fruit that could hardly be called a tip. At the back, five narrow green calyx lobes clutch the base, short and yellower than the leaves. They are about finger-like but for the tapering that is mostly present.

The edible fruits are present from mid-spring to midsummer (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; iSpot).