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Cool Question : I was told that you should watch what monkeys eat rather than Baboons as monkeys digestive systems are closer to ours.

We are always told to avoid bright red colouring. Not always true, rose hips are OK but in general avoid red.

interesting, coz a Num-num's fruit is also red and edible.


Most fruits which have a bad taste is also poisonous- but sure I don't want to try it to see what it tastes like and then find out it's poison.

any one else got some answers?

As children playing house house we used to eat what ever fruit we could find in the garden.........made salad with Arum lily leaves...............I can vouch those are not edible!!!!

Don't really know that much about plants.............but what you've said here make a lot of sense........

OWN asked me to comment, so here goes.

1. A bitter taste is an ABSOLUTE no-no. Your tongue and brain have evolved over many millions of years to detect poisons and display them as bitter. So if it's at all bitter, get rid of it! And don't worry about being polite; rather stay alive.

2. Milky latex as mentioned above is usually a no-no, but there are exceptions; stamvrug and num-nums prominent among them. (As an example of the unreliability of this one: Bushman Poison (Acokanthera) and (Carissa) are closely related; the first is deadly, the second good eating. Both have milky latex, but num-nums also have Y-shaped thorns -- happen the Bushman's Poison doesn't need them

3. Red fruits don't work -- they're usually a come-on to whatever disperses the seeds. Red fruits show up best of all against green leaves (think of tomatoes and chillies, for starters).

And then the good news:

1. Watch the other animals, especially monkeys -- they know what's good. As anybody who's lost supplies to camp monkeys will agree with feeling! Birds are not so helpful, as their digestions work differently.

2. You don't know what that fruit is? Ask someone who does and start learning! There will be fun times ahead if you do.

That should do for starters

Thanks everyone for your comments!!

I am still a little puzzled about the red fruit story. as there are some red fruits not edible and some that are?



Num-num and stamvrug fruits are definitely red and edible. i have tried that myself and still alive. but then again it could be the only two red (wild) edible fruits??


Anyone else with a question?

With regard to the chameleon ,.???
I have noticed this behaviour. I also
take into account time of day.

You will notice that they cross the the
road on their tips of their toes.

We must take into account that tar roads
are not natural and bitumen as such is
a great accumelator of heat. Black tar
can store high amounts of heat.

So maybe that's why they tip toe their way
across our roads.

Red fruits are generally safe, unless they're bitter. (By the way, Bushman Poison fruits are black when ripe, red when partly ripe, and deadly at all times. Num-nums and stamvrug are red when ripe and delicious then, but see next paragraph.)

It occurred to me in the middle of the night that of course figs have milky latex and (give or take the resident protein) are edible. So maybe a general warning: if it's edible, you'll often find that something with too many legs (or none at all) has gotten there before you. And there are few sights more upsetting than half a worm waving back at you from that deliciously ripe wild fruit you've just bitten into :-Þ ~~~ (sorry, I can't find an 'upchuck' smiley)

I'd still either learn the fruits or watch the monkeys.

Thanks for all the info. It definitely does help to getting know the fruits and stuff. i must say i don't think i wouldn't have tried a num-num's fruit the first time if i didn't know it's name is "edulis" meaning edible.

definitely agree with you, don't like that worms waving back at me. whether it's a wild fruit or an store bought variety.

OWN... not sure about Bear grilles's tips, he might eat poison and survive it too LOL!!!

As all the monkey's in the UK have gone (well the wild ones anyway) I guess I'll just have to learn the fruits.

Some more pointers to look for:

Fruits that look like tomato or cucumber are usually not edible.
Fruits that smell of jasmine or almonds probably have poisonous qualities.
Brightly coloured insects feeding on the plant indicate the possibility of poisons.

You can test for edible fruits by rubbing a small amount of the juice or sap on a sensitive part of skin eg inside of wrist. If no swelling/redness/blisters/or any other reaction after 15-20mins then the plant may be OK.

Test further by touching the tip of your tongue to the fruit, or putting a small amount of juice or sap on your tongue with a finger. If you get a bad taste, or burning sensation etc, then the plant is not safe.

If it seems to taste OK, then eat a tiny bit - and wait. If there is any strange after-taste or other effects then do not eat any more. After an hour or so, if all is OK, then the plant is probably safe. Continue to only eat small amounts to start with though until you are sure it is safe.