Ruschia rigens

L. Bolus

AizoaceaeRootsScore: 37/100

iNaturalist · cc-by-sa
(c) Nicola van Berkel, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Nicola van Berkel

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Dewald du Plessis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Root

The root is edible.

Where to Find It

It is a subtropical plant. It can tolerate drought.

Africa, South Africa, Southern Africa*,

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 succulent plant. It grows up to 30 cm high. It lies along the ground. The old leaves can remain for several years. They are close together and 3 sided.

Nutrition Score: 37/100

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Roots	74.6	268	64	2.9	—	—	5.7	—

How to Grow

It can be grown from woody stem cuttings. It can also be grown from seeds. Seeds are collected from dry pods off the plant.

Notes

It is a threatened species.

Names & Synonyms

Mesembryanthemum dressianum J. W. Ingram

References (3)

Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 8
Wehmeyer, A. S, 1986, Edible Wild Plants of Southern Africa. Data on the Nutrient Contents of over 300 species (As Rushia)
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