Satyrium neglectum
Schltr.
Pink-candle orchid
(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
(c) Robert Taylor, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Robert Taylor
What to Eat
Edible parts: Tubers, Roots
The tubers are peeled and cooked like potatoes, or pounded into flour to make cakes. Tubers and cakes are sold in local markets.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. In Tanzania it grows in grassland between 1,800-2,700 m above sea level.
Africa, East Africa, South Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania,
How to Identify
An orchid. It grows in the soil. It grows 1 m tall. The tubers are hairy and produce slender or stout stems. The tubers are 1.5-3 cm long and 1 cm wide. The roots are hairy and wiry. There are separate leafy stems next to the flowering stems. There are 2-5 leaves on the sterile stems. The lowest one or two surround the stem. The upper leaves are long and narrow and 27 cm long by 6.5 cm wide. The flowering stalk is 4-35 cm long. It has 6-12 leaves that form a sheath around it. These leaves are 13 cm long. They are narrow and pointed. The flower head is 5-25 cm long. There are many small pink to yellow flowers. They have a sweet scent. The fruit is a narrowly oval capsule. It opens by slits to release the very small seeds.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from tubers.
Propagation: Seed - Division of tubers.
Medicinal Uses
The tubers are eaten as a staple food preparation.
Production
Tubers are harvested during and shortly after the rainy season. Tubers can be stored for several months if kept cool and dry.
Other Information
Tubers and cakes are sold in local markets.
Names & Synonyms
Chikande, Kikande, Limwapembe, Nyamahebele
References (2)
- Msuya, T. S., et al, 2010, Availability, Preference and Consumption of Indigenous Foods in the Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania, Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 49:3, 208-227
- Ruffo, C. K., Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B., 2002, Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania. RELMA p 590
