Oncoba spinosa Forssk.

Oncoba species are shrubs or small trees, usually armed. Native to Saudi Arabia and Africa, cultivated in India.

Oncoba species are bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: September-January/February-June.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Evergreen shrubs or trees, about 4-9 m tall. Bark grayish brown, rough or smooth with irregular flakes, branches and branchlets armed with erect spines about 3-7 cm long. Leaves simple, alternate, lanceolate-elliptic to ovate-oblong, about 7-18 x 3-8 cm across, base cuneate, margin coarsely serrate-crenate or subentire, apex acute to shallow acuminate, lateral veins 5-8 on either side of the midrib, impressed above and prominent on midrib beneath, shiny, glabrous or glabrescent above, paler glaucous or glabrescent beneath, veinlets reticulate, petiole slender, about 6-12 mm long. Flowers yellowish white, bisexual, fragrant, pedicels thick, sepals 8-12, concave, about 1.5 long, petals 8-12, linear oblong, twice as longer as sepals, about 3 cm long. Stamens numerous, filaments yellow, anthers 2 loculed, dorsifixed. Ovary semi-inferior, globose, unilocular. Fruit globose-ovoid or spherical, about 4-6 cm across, green when young with longitudinal lines, hard reddish brown when mature.

Oncoba species are susceptible to various insect pests, powdery mildews and moulds.

Native to Saudi Arabia and Africa, introduced into India and grown as a hedge plant.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Used in traditional medicine. Fruit is edible, oil is extracted from the seeds. Wood used