Monanthotaxis poggei
Engl. & Diels
GBIF
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
Fruit - raw. A sweet pulp, it is eaten as a snack. The fruits are about 10 - 20mm long containing one seed; being carried in clumps of 6 - 8 fruits on stalks about 10mm long.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. In Tanzania it grows in evergreen forest between 700-1,100 m above sea level.
Africa, Angola, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Tanzania,
How to Identify
A climbing shrub. It grows 1-6 m long. The young stems have rusty hairs. The leaves are long and oval. They are 8-16 cm long. The tip are long and pointed. The leaves are green above and covered with silky silvery hairs underneath. The flowers occur singly or in groups of 2-4. They are near the leaves. There are 6 yellow fleshy petals. The fruit are in groups of 6-8. They are 1-2 cm long on stalks 1 cm long. There is one seed in each fruit. The fruit are covered with rusty hairs.
How to Grow
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe.
Medicinal Uses
Roots are used as a treatment for stomach-ache and an antidote for snakebite.
Other Uses
The wood is used for making storage pots and withies. The wood is used for fuel.
Names & Synonyms
Bulynkende, Lujongololo
References (2)
- Ruffo, C. K., Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B., 2002, Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania. RELMA p 478
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
