Cayratia debilis
(Bak.) Suess
Herbarium of the University of Coimbra (COI)
MBG
MBG
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Vegetable
The leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable, considered a minor vegetable in tropical regions.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows in the forest.
Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Uganda, West Africa,
How to Identify
A slender climber. It is 5 m long. It is slightly woody and keeps growing from year to year. There are branched tendrils opposite the leaves. The leaves are alternate and and have 5 leaflets. The leaf stalks are 4-12 cm long. The leaflets are narrowly oval and 12 cm long by 5.5 cm wide. They are rounded at the base and taper to the tip. The flowers can have one or both sexes. The petals are triangle shaped and greenish-white or yellow. The fruit is a flattened fleshy berry. It is 3 mm long by 5 mm wide. They are white and turn blue-black. There are 2-4 seeds.
Medicinal Uses
The plant has medicinal uses.
Other Information
It is a minor vegetable.
Notes
There are about 50 Cayratia species. It has some medicinal uses.
Names & Synonyms
Kerenda, Liane a saucisses, Titanli
References (3)
- Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 5. Kew.
- Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 165
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
