Periploca linearifolia

Dillon & A. Rich.

ApocynaceaeRootsSpice/BeveragePotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Root - tea, Medicine

The root is used to make tea.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows at the edge of forests. It forms tangled clumps. In Malawi it grows between 1,400-2,150 m altitude.

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia,

Countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A vine. It grows 8 m tall. The stems are thin and wiry. The leaves are smooth and narrow. All parts have milky latex. The flowers are white with purple sepals. They are in groups at the ends of branches. The fruit is a pod 10 cm long.

Medicinal Uses

The root has medicinal uses.

Notes

Also put in the family Asclepiadaceae.

Names & Synonyms

Osinantei, Umwaahuro

References (5)

Glover, et al, 1966b,
Grivetti, L. E., 1980, Agricultural development: present and potential role of edible wild plants. Part 2: Sub-Saharan Africa, Report to the Department of State Agency for International Development. p 44
Mbuvi, M. T. E., et al, 2019, Annonated checklist of plant species of Loita Forest Narok County, Kenya. Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2019). 6(3): 54-110
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 66
White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. and Chapman, J. D., 2001, Evergreen Forest Flora of Malawi. Kew. p 163