Abstract

Mmupudu (Mimusops zeyheri) is an indigenous fruit tree to South Africa, with the potential of being domesticated for its aesthetic and nutritional attributes in rural and urban communities which were historically settled on heavy clay and loam soils, respectively. A pot study was conducted to investigate the performance of M. zeyheri seedlings under loam, clay and sandy soils. Relative to loam, clay increased leaf growth by 19 to 20% and 9 to 58% at 9 and 12 months after transplanting, respectively, while sand consistently reduced leaf growth by 10 to 88% and 21 to 49%, respectively. In conclusion, the positive performance of M. zeyheri on clay and loam soils enhanced its potential for domestication for rural and urban greening in South Africa.

Key words: Domestication, indigenous trees, moepel, vitamin C.