Ceropegia stenantha

K. Schum.

ApocynaceaeLeavesRootsScore: 13/100

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Tubers, Root

The leaves, tubers, and roots are edible and can be eaten.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. In Zimbabwe it grows at 1,460 m above sea level.

Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, 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 climbing herb. It has a cluster of fleshy roots. It keeps growing from year to year. The stems are thin. The stems are twining and the leaves are long and narrow. The flowers are in clusters of 3-6. The fruit are slender green follicles 10 cm long.

Nutrition Score: 13/100

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Tubers	93	88	21	1	—	—	—	0.6

How to Grow

It can be grown from tubers, stem cuttings or seeds. Seeds should be sown fresh.

Medicinal Uses

A root decoction is used in the treatment of stomach problems in young children.

Notes

There are about 160-200 Ceropegia species. Probably now in Apocynaceae.

Names & Synonyms

Nkerioi, Umanzani

Ceropegia angustiloba De Wild.Ceropegia infausta N. E. Br.Ceropegia mazoensis S. MooreCeropegia quarrei De Wild.Ceropegia stenantha var. parviflora N. E. Br.Ceropegia tenuissima S. MooreRiocreuxia longiflora K.Schum.

References (8)

Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 76
Ichikawa, M., 1980, The Utilization of Wild Food Plants by the Suiei Dorobo in Northern Kenya. J. Anthrop. Soc. Nippon. 88(1): 25-48
Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 12, 66
Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 177
Mutie, F. M., et al, 2023, Important Medicinal and Food Taxa (Orders and Families) in Kenya, Based on Three Quantitative Approaches. Plants 2023, 12, 1145
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 23
Wehmeyer, A. S, 1986, Edible Wild Plants of Southern Africa. Data on the Nutrient Contents of over 300 species.
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