Kei Apple

The Kei apple is an aromatic fruit is oblate or nearly round, 1 to 1 1/2 in (2.5-4 cm) long, with bright-yellow, smooth but minutely downy, somewhat tough skin, and mealy, apricot-textured, juicy, highly acid flesh.

There are 5 to 15 seeds arranged in double rings in the center.Kei Apple tree is an evergreen shrub to small tree native to South Africa.

In nature, the plants will reach up to 20 feet (6 m) in height with a spread of around 8-10 feet (2.4-3 m) wide. It is a very dense shrub with very stiff, sharp spines. Spines will reach up to 3 inches (7.5 cm) long. The obovate, glossy leaves are up to 2 inches (5 cm) long.

Leaves are usually clustered at the base of spines.

Plants are moderately fast growers and one can expect them to produce fruit in 5-6 years from seed. They are very drought resistant and their size is easily controlled with container size and selective pruning. Kei apple’s are both drought and salt tolerant and are often used as coastal landscaping shrubs.

Other names for the Kei apple is Dovyalis caffra.

Initially brought to Australia by farmers, as hedge fencing, they can become a problem if left unattended as so often happens in the bush.When necessary, the can be pruned back extremely hard and although you may loose a fruiting season, they do come back very well.

Blooming:

In the greenhouse, the plant blooms in late winter to early spring. Plants are dioecious, which is to say, they have female and male flowers on separate plants. The very small greenish yellow flowers give rise to 1 inch (2.5 cm) yellow fruit. The mature fruits taste somewhat like an apricot.

Culture:

Kei Apple needs full sun to light shade, with a well drained soil mix. In the greenhouse, we use a soil mix consisting of 1 part peat moss to 1 part loam to 2 parts coarse sand. The plants are well watered and then allowed to dry before watering again. We fertilize our plant with a balanced fertilizer diluted to 1/2 the strength recommended on the label on a monthly basis. The plants resent overly wet soils, so water should be carefully monitored. After flowering and fruiting is when we selectively prune the plants to control their size.

Kei Apple Tree

Propagation:

Dovyalis caffra are propagated from seed. Fresh seed germinate very readily. The Kei-apple can also be propagated from hardwood cuttings as long as they are treated with root-stimulating hormone before planting.

Native Range:

Native to the Kei River region of Southwest Africa. The Kei Apple has adapted to subtropical regions throughout the world and is sometimes planted for ornamental purposes in Florida, California, and Southern Europe.

Uses:

The fruits are very juicy and having a acidic flavor. They often sprinkled with sugar and eaten fresh, can also be used in a variety of desserts.