Abstract:
Carissa edulis is found in a belt stretching from Arabia through Tropical Africa to Transvaal in the south. It is an indigenous tree in many parts of Africa including Uganda, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Sudan and Tanzania. In Uganda, the tree is commonly found in Teso and Lango farming systems. It usually exists on termite moulds in wooded grasslands especially in low lying areas, and also in thickets in woodlands, forest edges and secondary shrub. The shrub, however, prefers dryish conditions. It grows at altitudes of 1000 to 2000 metres above sea level and tolerates most soils including black cotton.