Adenia gummifera
(Harvey) Harms
Snake climber, Green stem
(c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Sharon Louw, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Sharon Louw, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Flowers, Fruit, Vegetable
Young leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable, and very ripe fruit are eaten fresh as a dessert fruit.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It is widespread in hilly country in Malawi. In grows in rainforest and along rivers. It suits humid locations. It grows below 1,700 m above sea level. In Tanzania it grows between 1 and 500 m above sea level. It grows in rocky and stony dry soils. It can grow in arid places. It can grow on termite mounds.
Africa, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A climber. It is a succulent plant with a swollen base. It is a creeper with tendrils. The stems are grey. The leaf stalks are slender and 3 cm long. There is a small gland at the top. The leaf blades are 4 cm long. They have 3 broad blunt lobes. The edges are slightly wavy. The flowering shoots are in the axils of the leaves. These stalks are slender. The flowers are greenish-yellow. The fruit are oval and 2.5 cm long. The seeds are white with a netted surface.
Nutrition Score: 37/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves cooked | 81 | 247 | 59 | 3.6 | — | — | 4.2 | — |
How to Grow
It can be grown by seeds or cuttings.
Propagation: Seed - Cuttings
Medicinal Uses
It is a commonly used leaf vegetable in Mozambique.
Other Uses
An exudate obtained by heating the stems is used to glue knives on to their handles.
Other Information
It is a commonly used leaf in Mozambique.
Notes
There are 95 Adenia species. They are common in the semiarid regions of Africa.
Names & Synonyms
Alfakunso, Beleha, Bopa, Bopa-vhafy, Bopha, Cimboyi, Deveramvumi, Dovosha, Dovoza, Gole, Imfulo, Impinda, Infulwa, Kimboyi, Kinboyi, Komboponoke, Kungu-mti, Lukenda, Mandali, Mdozi, Mkengeti, Mkuta, Mlozi, Monkey rope, Msambafumu, Muboori, Mulozi, Munua-nyoka, Murride, Nancuta, Slangklimop, Wore
References (21)
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- Ruffo, C. K., Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B., 2002, Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania. RELMA p 106
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 85
- Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
- Tredgold, M.H., 1986, Food Plants of Zimbabwe. Mambo Press. p 1
- Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
- White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. and Chapman, J. D., 2001, Evergreen Forest Flora of Malawi. Kew. p 427
- Williamson, J., 2005, Useful Plants of Malawi. 3rd. Edition. Mdadzi Book Trust. p 14
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- www.zimbabweflora.co.zw 2011
