Try a Google search -- I just did, and almost instantly found a wealth of information about Dovyalis.

As for grafting, it's probably perfectly hardy on its own roots and I doubt that named cultivars are commonly sold.

Just one point -- you may find South African or Australian sites that say a tree is 'frost hardy'. That usually means hardy in zone 9 or possibly zone 8, but not necessarily any lower -- rather different from the N American idea of hardy.

I suspect Dovyalis caffra is unlikely to be hardy below zone 9.

Hopefulauthor,

According to California Rare Fruit Growers information, Dovyalis caffra is damaged at about 24 degrees F, and killed at about 21 degrees F. So TonyfromOz's guess about the hardiness of the species is basically right on point.

This is a dioecious species, meaning that there are separate male and female individual plants. You would need one of each to get fruit. You could, of course, graft a branch of an opposite-sexed plant onto your own. But, absent genetic analysis, I don't think that there is any way to determine the sex of your plant until it flowers.

D. caffra fruit is ... interesting, although perhaps not exquisitely delicious. One friend of mine describes it as having a sort of "weird apricot" taste, and I think that's a pretty accurate description. It is fun to grow if you are interested in obscure edible plants -- but if you can't grow it outdoors, I am not sure that it would be worth devoting precious greenhouse space to.

The plants can also get rather thorny. One anecdote that I've heard a lot is that hedgerows of them are planted in southern Africa to keep the lions out. Urban legend? Who knows, but the thorns sure look like they could deter any creature with a tender skin!

Thanks..You've answered my question..
Oh no, it wouldn't be hardy here in IL...bu no means..lol
It's container grown..I've a gh, so it can spend the winter in there..It's still a young tree, so I don't expect fruit for some time.
I'm sure the gh is warm enough to keep..I also have 20 citrus that lives there in winter..among other tropicals like ginger, hibs, etc. Thanks so much..Toni