Abuta platyphylla
Mart. ex Eichl.
Videira Silvestre
What to Eat
Edible parts: Root, Fruit
A flour is extracted from root starch. The fruit is also eaten.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant.
Brazil, Guiana, South America,
How to Identify
A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.
Notes
The Menispermaceae are mainly tropical rainforest plants. There are 32 Abuta in tropical America. Chemical composition: Protein = none. Sugars = trace. Starch = 50.30%. Moisture = 13.50%. Minerals = 1.22%. Fibre (crude, etc.) = 34.98%. Ash: SiO2 = 65.9% (0.79% in gum). Fe2O = 1.2% (0.014% in gum). Thiamine = 22.5mcg per 100g. Riboflavin = negative.
Names & Synonyms
Parreira Brava, Uva do Apa, Vidiera silvestre
References (4)
- Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 3
- DE CASTRO, 1952,
- Famine Foods. Purdue University
- Lim, T. K., 2015, Edible Medicinal and Non Medicinal Plants. Volume 9, Modified Stems, Roots, Bulbs. Springer p 2
