Jacket Plum – 5 Seeds

The Jacket Plum (Pappea capensis) is a long-lived, hardy, evergreen, small to medium tree with a height of 2-8 m. Under ideal conditions it can grow at a moderate rate but can be slow-growing under dry and/or cold conditions.The leaves are simple and oblong, hard-textured and wavy. The greenish flowers are followed by round green velvety fruits which split open to reveal bright red flesh with a dark brown seed within. The delicious and very juicy fruit with a tart flavor is used to make preserve, jelly, vinegar and an alcoholic drink.

Leaves, bark and the oil extracted from the seed are used medicinally against baldness, ringworm, nosebleeds, chest complaints, eye infections, and venereal disease.

It is widespread in southern Africa from the Northern Cape through the drier Karoo, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, to the northern provinces, as well as Mozambique, Zimbabwe and northwards into eastern and southern tropical Africa.

Common names: jacket plum, Indaba tree, bushveld cherry (Eng.); doppruim (Afr.); umqhokwane, umvuna, indaba (Zulu); ilitye, umgqalutye (Xhosa); mongatane, mopsinyugane (Northern Sotho); liletsa (Swati); xikwakwaxu, gulaswimbi (Tsonga)

Growing Jacket Plum

Indoor Sowing: Early Spring.

Direct Sowing: Spring.

• Sow seed in trays using a well-drained seedling mixture with some river sand added.
• The seed should be pressed into the medium and covered with approximately 5 mm of sand or seedling medium.
• Keep the trays in a warm and lightly shaded position until germination, which may take from six to ten weeks under ideal conditions.
• The seedlings are best left in their trays until they are approximately 20-50 mm tall before planting out, taking care not to bruise or damage the young taproot.
• Saplings are slow-growing especially when young but growth increases as the tree matures. Growth is also considerably quicker in warmer climates or warmer positions of the garden.