Gouania polygama
(Jacq.) Urb.
RhamnaceaeLeaves
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(c) Rob Westerduijn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
(c) Rob Westerduijn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
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(c) Christian Grenier, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Christian Grenier, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
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(c) Martin Reith, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Martin Reith, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves - flavouring
The leaves are used like hops to flavour beer.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level.
Argentina, Central America, Cuba, Hispaniola, Mexico, North America, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, South America, Trinidad & Tobago, USA, West Indies,
Countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Suriname, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, United States, Uruguay, St Vincent, Venezuela
How to Identify
A creeper. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 4-15 m long. It has tendrils. The stems are greyish and 3 cm across. The branches are green and have a rusty coating. The leaves are alternate and 7-15 cm long by 3-8 cm wide. The flowers are in groups 15-18 cm long. The leaves are 3 winged. The seeds are oval and light brown. They are 3 mm long.
Names & Synonyms
Bejuco lenatero, Limpia dientes, Mascapelo
Gouania crenata Lam.Gouania crenata var. cordifolia DC.Gouania martinicensis Poir.Gouania pubescens Lam. ex Poir.
Gouania ursinicarpa RusbyRhamnus polygama Jacq.
References (2)
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 397
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
