Cocculus hirsutus
(L.) Diels.
Python climber, Broom creeper, Bushveld moonseed creeper
no rights reserved, uploaded by S.MORE
(c) Robert Taylor, some rights reserved (CC BY)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Fruit
The leaves are eaten raw, used in curry preparations, or boiled with salt and chilli peppers. The fruit are eaten as a snack and as a vegetable, particularly by children.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in hot arid places. It grows in dry rocky soils. It grows between 50-1,200 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.
Africa, Angola, Asia, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Himalayas, India, Kenya, Malawi, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A woody vine or climbing shrub. It is densely hairy. The bark is light grey and textured. The leaves are 4-8 cm long by 5-7 cm wide. They are oval. They can have 3-5 lobes. The leaves have 3 prominent veins that start at the base. The flowers are separate. The fruit is dark purple and fleshy. It is 4-8 mm long.
Nutrition Score: 56/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves | 44.4 | 790 | 189 | 9.1 | — | — | 10.7 | 1.4 |
| Leaves | 76.5 | — | — | 3.9 | — | — | 9.9 | 0.6 |
How to Grow
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.
Medicinal Uses
The leaves are used in medicine.
Other Uses
The stems are used in basketry. The are used in making basket chairs. A blue colouring obtained from the fruit is used to colour baskets blue. The fruits are combined with the seedpods of Acacia nilotica subalata in order to make the blue colour.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Cocculus hirsutus is a tropical flowering plant with the common name broom creeper or Patalgarudi (Sanskrit). It is native to South Asia, Southeast Asia, parts of East Asia, West Asia and tropical Africa. It is a vine climbing up to 3 metres (9.8 ft), with white to yellowish flowers and dark purple fruits 4 to 8 mm in diameter.
Other Information
The fruit are eaten by children.
Notes
There are about 8 Cocculus species. The leaves are used in medicine.
Names & Synonyms
Bosveld-halfmaanranker, Chireta, Dagadi, Dusaraitige, Dusari balli, Dusseru, Huyer, Jaljamni, Jamti-ki-bél, Jamtikibel, Karrom, Kattukkodi, Musakana, Muzwingo, Nguelana, Para-vel, Patalagarudi, Rupamane, Sisi, Sogadi-balli, Tsitsi, Ururio, Vasan vel, Vasanti tikta, Vasano, Vasu vel, Vellakattukkodi, Vevati
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