Clitandra cymulosa
Benth.
(c) Nkima56, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Nkima56
(c) Nkima56, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Nkima56
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The very acid fruits are eaten raw, including the seeds. They are sold in markets and are locally popular.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in forest. It grows between 1,100-1,200 m above sea level.
Africa, Angola, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Gabon, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Niger, Sahel, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa,
How to Identify
A creeper. It grows to 40-100 m long. The trunk can be 12 cm across. The bark is rough and peels off. The leaves are narrowly oval and 4-20 cm long by 2-8 cm wide. They taper to the tip and are wedge shaped at the base. The fruit are about 7 cm across. They are round or pear shaped and have a harder layer on the outside. There are between 6-25 seeds. They are about 1 cm across.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seed.
Medicinal Uses
The latex obtained from the stem is taken internally as a treatment for stomach aches. It is believed to work by coagulating in the stomach, enforlding the offending material in there, and carrying it out of the body with the faeces, but has been known to occasionally cause occlusion of the intestines and death.
Other Uses
The plant contains an abundant, watery and somewhat sticky latex. Generally valueless, but some plants yield a good, black rubber, known as 'Noire du Congo'. It can be coagulated by adding water and then boiling it, stirring constantly until the coagulum sticks to the sirring paddle. The sap of Costus lukasiana is used to coagulate it. The newly formed coagulum is white, but becomes brown in time and acquires elasticity. The plant has been exploited in various regions of Africa for this rubber and in some areas it is the main source of rubber from climbing plants.
Production
In Congo the fruiting season is July to October. In Central African Republic plants flower January to May.
Other Information
Fruit are sold in markets. They are popular.
Names & Synonyms
Abubuka, Bokamba, Denga, Dinkalanga, Iganda, Inono, Lekaga, Lilolo, Linono, Lombe, Madinga, Makalanga, Mbado, Mukumbi, Nkombye, Onono, Oveng-ndzic, Pembe
References (11)
- Harris, D. J., 2002, The vascular plants of the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve, Central African Republic. National Botanic Garden of Belgium, 2002. – 274 pages p 50
- Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 129
- Latham, P., 2004, Useful Plants of Bas-Congo province. Salvation Army & DFID p 84
- Lautenschläger, T., et al, 2018, First large-scale ethnobotanical survey in the province of Uíge, northern Angola. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2018) 14:51
- Mosango M., Szafranski F., 1985, Plantes sauvages à fruits comestibles dans les environs de Kisangani (Zaïre). In: Journal d'agriculture traditionnelle et de botanique appliquée, 32e année, pp. 177-190
- Moutsambote, J., 1996, Vegetation forestiere et plantes alimentaires de la region de la Sangha. Chp. 11 of Bien Manger et Bien Vivre. ORSTOM p 119
- Raponda-Walker, A & Sillans, R., 1961, Les Plantes Utiles du Gabon. Editions Paul Lechevalier, Paris. p 79 (As Clitandra arnoldiana)
- Termote, C., et al, 2011, Eating from the wild: Turumbu, Mbole and Bali traditional knowledge of non-cultivated edible plants, District Tshopo, DRCongo, Gen Resourc Crop Evol. 58:585-618
- Termote, C., 2012, Wild edible plant use in Tshopo District, Democratic Republic of Congo. Universiteit Gent. p 69
- Vivien, J., & Faure, J.J., 1996, Fruitiers Sauvages d'Afrique. Especes du Cameroun. CTA p 56
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
