Cissus petiolata
Hook.
(c) Nicholas Wightman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Nicholas Wightman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Nicholas Wightman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Seeds
The seeds are cooked and eaten. The leaves can also be eaten.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in lowland rainforest. It suits humid locations. It Malawi it grows between 750-1,100 m altitude.
Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinée, Malawi, Mozambique, Southern Africa, Sudan, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A creeper. The young stems are 4 sided. Older stems are 3-4 cm across. There are broad corky wings. It has simple tendrils. The leaves are simple and broadly oval. They are 13 cm long by 13 cm wide. They are heart shaped at the base. There are slight teeth along the edges. The leaf stalk is 11 cm long. The flowers are in branched clusters in the axils of leaves or near the ends of branches. The fruit are oval and 8 mm across.
Notes
There are about 200-350 Cissus species. There are about 75 species in tropical America.
Names & Synonyms
Cigoti, Tebelebe
References (4)
- Bongers, F. et al (Eds), Forest Climbing Plants of West Africa: Diversity, Ecology and Management. CABI
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 63
- Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 224
- White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. and Chapman, J. D., 2001, Evergreen Forest Flora of Malawi. Kew. p 596
