Pteridium centraliafricanum
(Hieron.) Alston
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(c) Bart Wursten, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Bart Wursten
(c) Bart Wursten, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Bart Wursten
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Craig Peter, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Craig Peter
(c) Craig Peter, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Craig Peter
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Nick Helme, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Nick Helme
(c) Nick Helme, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Nick Helme
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Fronds, Rhizomes
The young fronds and leaves are eaten, and the plant is sold in local markets.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant.
Africa, Angola, Central Africa, Congo DR, Congo R,
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
An erect fern. It grows 1-3 m tall. It has long underground rhizomes that put up shoots. The stem is thick, rounded and hairy. The leaf is compound and 45 cm long with loves. Each leaf has about 21 pairs of leaflets.
How to Grow
It can grow from spores or rhizomes.
Other Information
It is sold in local markets.
Names & Synonyms
Mitekwa
Pteridium aquilinum subsp. centraliafricanum Hieron.
References (4)
- Koni, J. M. & Bostein, K., 2008, Noms et usages des plantes utiles chez les Nsong, DR Congo. University of Gothenburg. Department of Oriental and African Languages.
- Latham, P & Mbuta, A., 2017, Useful Plants of Central Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Volume 2. Salvation Army p 120
- Mawunu, M., et al, 2022, Ethnobotanical uses of wild edible plants of Mucuba municipality, Angola. Natural Resources for Human Health. 2022, 0:1-10
- Nkeoua, G. & Boundzanga, G. C., 1999, Donnees sur les produits forestieres non ligneux en Republique du Congo. FAO. p 35
