The pithy tissue lying under the skin and around the seeds of larger ripe fruits is the only part eaten.

In the well vegetated areas of the island the foliage is little grazed, except in a prolonged dry season, when the fallen dead leaves are eaten.

Goats are fond of the immature fruit and small livestock also like the flowers, fresh or dried.

More recently people have started using the skins to treat stomach complaints and expel worms, a treatment apparently learned from the mainland.

The skin of a pink-colored, unripe fruit, rather than a fully ripe red one, is crushed in water and added to a small amount of fresh milk to sour it.

In addition to its natural distribution in Socotra, it has also been planted in Hawaii at the Koko Crater Botanical Garden.