‡Iiros
- Ximenia americana, blue sourplum -
The ‡iiros, a spiny shrub, is not very common in Etosha. The orange fruit are about 25 mm in diameter and sour-sweet tasting; they ripen around March/April and can be collected until June. In earlier times, the kernels of ‡iiron were roasted, crushed and mixed with animal fat as a medication for skin irritations and small wounds. Whereas X. americana has bluish-green leaves, the related species X. caffra (sourplum) has dark green leaves, and larger, bright red fruit.
