Tetrastigma harmandii

Planchon

Ayo

VitaceaeFruitLeavesSpice/Beverage

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Ursus philippensis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ursus philippensis

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Ursus philippensis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Fruit, Spice

The sour leaves and fruit are used to colour and sour fish dishes. The fruit can be cooked with other foods to add flavour or used for making jellies.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in thickets at low and medium altitudes.

Asia, Cambodia, Cuba, Indochina, Laos, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Vietnam, West Indies,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bahamas, Bhutan, China, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Micronesia, Grenada, Georgia, Haiti, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, St Kitts & Nevis, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Palau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tonga, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen

How to Identify

A woody vine. It has simple tendrils. The leaves are compound with 3-7 leaflets. The fruit is an almost round berry. It is 1.5 cm across. It is brown. They are in clusters of 4-15.

How to Grow

A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Propagation: Seed - Stem cuttings Layering.

Medicinal Uses

A decoction of the plant is used internally as a powerful diuretic The decoction is applied to the skin as a treatment against scabies.

Other Uses

A fibre from the stems produces a poor kind of rope.

Names & Synonyms

Alupidan, Arinat, Ariwat, Kantoop, Orro

References (11)

Brown, W.H., 1920, Wild Food Plants of the Philippines. Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 21 Manila. p 108
A. L. P. P. de Candolle & A. C. de Candolle, Monogr. phan. 5:425. 1887
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 245
Ferns, Useful Tropical Plants.
Maghirang, R. G., et al, 2018. Ethnobotanical Studies of Some Plants Commonly Used as Vegetables in Selected Provinces of the Philippines. Journal of Nature Studies. 17(2), 30-43.
Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 225
Miguel, E., et al, 1989, A checklist of the cultivated plants of Cuba. Kulturpflanze 37. 1989, 211-357
PROSEA handbook Volume 13 Spices. p 280 and No. 2
Tanaka,
Uphof,
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew