By comparing a number of case studies from central Africa, this paper identified a continuum in the pattern of fruit trees in cultivated miombo landscapes, from abundant natural woodland with some planted exotics, to retention of fruit trees during clearance and, finally, to domestication of wild fruit trees in the most intensively managed sites. In Zimbabwe collection and marketing indigenous fruits was the task of women and children, but this changed where large-scale commercial markets were developed, for example to the Zambian brewing industry. Wild fruits were nutritionally valuable, especially during seasons when other foods were scanty