Sphaeranthus flexuosus

O. Hoffm.

AsteraceaeLeaves
Sphaeranthus flexuosus
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Rémi Cardinael, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Rémi Cardinael
Sphaeranthus flexuosus
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) davduf, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Sphaeranthus flexuosus
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) davduf, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves

The leaves are eaten.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant.

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Congo DR, East Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sudan, Zambia, 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 herb. It grows 25 cm tall. The stems can lie along the ground. The leaves are 6.5 cm long and heart shaped. They clasp the stem at the base. They are hairy. There can be teeth along the edge. The flowering shoots are in the axils of leaves or at the ends of the plant. They form round heads 1 cm across. They are purple.

Names & Synonyms
Sphaeranthus brounae RobynsSphaeranthus calcareus RobynsSphaeranthus dinteri Muschl.Sphaeranthus engleri Muschl.Sphaeranthus humilis O. Hoffm.Sphaeranthus kalahariensis Bremek. & Oberm.Sphaeranthus setulosus R. E. Fr.Sphaeranthus tenuis R. E. Fr.
References (1)
  • 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 71 (As Sphaeranthus humilis)

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