The Afrikaans name alludes to the shiny light green leaves and the hooked thorns. It makes a good perimeter barrier as its thorns are profuse on young shoots and are difficult to untangle because one points forward while the other points backward.
The buffalo thorn is a small to medium size tree, reaching a height of about 10 metres, but will be notably smaller in the Kalahari.
Several species of birds feed on the brownish-red fruit. The leaves as well as fruit are also sought after by wild animals. A blend made from the roots is used as a painkiller.
By JMK - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75760724
The leaves are edible and can be cooked into spinach. The seeds can be roasted and ground as a substitute for coffee.
Common names by http://treesa.org/ziziphus-mucronata/
- (Afrikaans) Blinkblaar, Blinkblaarboom, Blinkblaar-wag-‘n-bietjie, Blinkblaar-wag-‘n-bietjie doringboom, Buffelsdoring, Haakdoring, Haak-en-steek-wag-‘n-bietjie, Katdoring, Buffeldoring, Skynblaar-wag-‘n-bietjie, Wag-‘n-bietjie, Wag-‘n-bietjie-doring.
- (English) Bogwood, Buffalo Thorn, Cat-thorn, Come-and-i’ll-kiss-you, Wait-a-bit.
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