Diospyros dichrophylla Diospyros dichrophylla Diospyros dichrophylla (Gand.) De Winter aka poison star-apple is a Southern African tree belonging to the ebony family of Ebenaceae and closely related to the Persimmon ("Diospyros kaki"). Some authors describe it as being poisonous, which is puzzling as generally ripe fruits from this genus are quite tasty and edible, though green fruits are rich in tannins. The genus of "Diospyros" includes some 700 species, many of which are ornamental and many which bear edible and often cultivated fruit. This species grows into a medium-sized tree of up to 15 m tall. It is multi-stemmed and forms a
Diospyros mabacea 15 cm long, 2 to 5 cm wide. Paler below than on top of the leaf. Leaves alternate on the stem as is the case with other "Diospyros" trees. Small flowers occur in September. Red fruit appears between January and March. Similar to a cherry tomato of various shapes. Sometimes round or egg shaped, long and thin, or other times flat like a pumpkin. Up to four and a half cm long. The flesh is whitish, dry, without taste and unpalatable. Fruit usually contains between two and six seeds. Seeds are brown, curved and triangular in cross section. The specific