Prionostemma aspera
(Lam.) Miers
CelastraceaeFruit
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(c) Frederico Acaz Sonntag, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Frederico Acaz Sonntag
(c) Frederico Acaz Sonntag, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Frederico Acaz Sonntag
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Candida Caicedo Moreno, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Candida Caicedo Moreno, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Candida Caicedo Moreno, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Candida Caicedo Moreno, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruits are eaten raw.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It occurs at about 500 m above sea level.
Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, South America, Suriname, Trinidad, Venezuela,
How to Identify
A climbing shrub. It can grow 25 m long. The fruit are 55-80 mm long by 40-60 mm wide.
Medicinal Uses
The bark is heated and applied as a poultice to serious burns. It is believed to soothe the pain and to accelerate healing. An exudate from the bark is applied as a healing poultice to cuts and external wounds, and is used as a topical treatment for skin rash.
Names & Synonyms
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 589 (As Salacia scabra)
Kew Plants of the World onLine
Martin, F. W., et al, 1987, Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics. USDA Handbook 642 p 96 (As Salacia scabra)
