Pseudolachnostylis maprouneifolia, the koedoebessie or kudu berry, is a special tree that is too little known (SA Tree List No. 308).
The kudu berry has a round, spreading crown that looks quite spectacular in autumn when the leaves turn red. The tree has pale grey to brown bark on a single main bole and its bigger branches. The leaves are alternate, simple, round to ovate. Its flowers are small greenish white in axillary clusters.
The fruits are green, spherical, segmented with the flower styles persisting on the tips, occurring on the female trees, the trees being dioecious. The fruits fall to the ground when still green and are browsed by elephants and antelope.
Kudu berry trees grow in the northern subtropical parts of South Africa and neighbouring states including Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana (www.plantzafrica.com; Coates Palgrave, 2002).