Marula Tree – 5 Seeds

The Marula tree (Sclerocarya birrea) is found widely distributed in the rural areas of Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga. As a prolific fruit bearer, one single tree can produce up to 500 kg of fruit per year. Common names include jelly plum, cat thorn, morula, cider tree, marula, maroola nut/plum, and in Afrikaans, maroela.

It is a medium to large tree, usually 9 m tall, but it can grow up to 18 m. It is single-stemmed, with a dense, spreading crown and deciduous foliage.  Female and male flowers are separated, whether on the same tree or on different trees. The small flowers are pinkish-red in color. The plum-sized fruit is thick, very juicy and aromatic. When ripe, the fruit has a light yellow skin, with white, succulent flesh and a strong, distinctive and turpentine flavor. The tree is highly sensitive to frost and grows best in frost-free areas under warm conditions. It is adapted to dry and hot weather conditions.

In Southern Africa, the edible fruits are consumed locally and are also used to make beer, wine, and jam.  The bark, roots, and leaves are used in traditional medicine to treat diarrhea, diabetes, fever, and malaria.  The leaves are used to make a relish and the hard wood makes excellent mortars for pounding corn, as well as spoons and other kitchen utensils.

Growing Marula Tree

The best time to plant Marula seed is August-September. The seeds can be planted in the ground, but are better protected if planted in a pot or plastic planting bag.

Planting Method 1:

• Soak the seed stones/nuts overnight in warm water, and place them on damp, fluffy peat moss at room temperature for about a week or two.
• Fill black nursery bags with river sand.
• Plant the stones /nuts 1-2 cm under the surface.
• Place the pot/bag in the shade, protecting it from direct sunlight.
• Water the soil 3-4 times per week.
• Germination in 2 weeks.

Planting Method 2:

• Soak the seed stones / nuts overnight in warm water, and place them on damp, fluffy peat moss at room temperature for about a week or two. This softens the plugs found at the broad end—usually two per seed, sometimes one.
• The broad end should be carefully pared down with secateurs until the outline of the plug is visible.
• Then, using a small pocket knife carefully inserted into the plug outline, gently lever out the plug.
• Once this is done, the seed should be placed on the peat moss and kept moist at 25 °C.
• Plant the seed directly into black nursery bags filled with river sand and keep in a warm place in the shade until the seedlings appear.
• Germination in 2 weeks.
• Often more than one plant emerges, but all except one plant should be removed.
• Transplanting should be done while the plant is still small to prevent damaging the roots – a good size is when the plant has only two leaves.  Transplanting of bigger seedlings is difficult without damaging the root and slowing down the growth of plant.
• It requires full sun, and grows quite quickly, with a growth rate of up to 1.5m per year.