Asclepias aurea
(Schltr.) Schltr.
Golden star drops
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(c) Robert Archer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Robert Archer
(c) Robert Archer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Robert Archer
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(c) Kate Braun, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kate Braun
(c) Kate Braun, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kate Braun
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(c) Andrew Hankey, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Andrew Hankey
(c) Andrew Hankey, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Andrew Hankey
What to Eat
Edible parts: Roots, Taproot, Leaves
The taproot is eaten, particularly by children. The leaves are also edible.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows in dry grassland. It grows between 1,000-2,000 m above sea level.
Africa, Botswana, East Africa, Eswatini, Kenya, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe,
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 slender herb. It is erect and has few branches. It grows 55 cm high. It grows each year from a rootstock that lasts from year to year. The leaves are narrow. They are 8 cm long. The edges are rolled under. There are 3-7 flowers in a group. They are yellow. The outer lobes taper to a long point.
Other Information
The tap root is eaten especially by children.
Names & Synonyms
Aidomene parvula StoppAsclepias aurea var. brevicuspis S. MooreAsclepias aurea var. vittata N.E. Br.Asclepias pedunculata (Decne.) DandyAsclepias radiata S. MooreGomphocarpus aureus Schltr.Gomphocarpus longipes Oliv.Gomphocarpus pedunculatus Decne.Gomphocarpus schizoglossoides Schltr.Stathmostelma pedunculatum (Decne.) K.Schum.
References (8)
- Guillarmod, J., 1971, (As Gomphocarpus aureus)
- Glover, et al, 1966b, (As Stathmostelma pedunculatum)
- 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 (As Stathmostelma pedunculatum)
- Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 104 (As Stathmostelma pedunculatum)
- Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 67 (As Stathmostelma pedunculatum and p 64 (As Gomphocarpus aureus))
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 20
- Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
