Cleome schimperi

Pax

CleomaceaeLeaves
Cleome schimperi
gbif · cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Cleome schimperi
gbif · cc-by-nc-sa
MBG
Cleome schimperi
gbif · cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Vegetable

The leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows at higher altitudes between 1,000-2,000 m altitude.

Africa, Congo DR, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda,

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 herb. It grows each year from seeds. It is low growing. It can be 60 cm tall. The stem is covered with hairs. The leaves have 3 leaflets. The leaflets are narrowly oval and 2.2 cm long by 0.8 cm wide. They are hairy. The flower petals are pale pink. The fruit capsule is 1.7-3.5 cm long. The seeds are dark brown with ridges and are 1.8 mm across.

Names & Synonyms

Nyiragasogereza

References (2)
  • Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 196
  • Jansen, P.C.M., 2004. Cleome rutidosperma DC. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 14 October 2009.

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