The large, almost spherical fruit of Dovyalis caffra is a velvety yellow berry. It has a thin skin and contains soft pulp, rich in vitamin C. Ripening by late spring to midsummer, it is relished by people, birds, antelope, monkeys and baboons.

This is one of the veld fruit that people will not only eat occasionally because they know they can, but because the fruits are tasty, although slightly acidic. The tree is often planted in gardens and a sought after jelly preserve made of the fruit.

Note the stem colour, as well as the difference in leaf colour upon upper and lower surfaces (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Pooley, 1993).