ZZ Aeschynomene afraspera
J. Leonard
What to Eat
Edible parts: Medicine
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows in swampy places. It grows from sea level to 900 m above sea level.
Africa, Angola, Central Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Zambia,
Countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How to Identify
A herb or shrub. It grows 1-3 m tall. It has soft pithy stems. The leaves have 36-100 leaflets. The leaflets are 8-22 mm long by 1.5-3.5 mm wide. There are 2-4 flowers in the axils of leaves. The fruit is 5-9 cm long and dark. It can be slightly curved and has 6-10 joints. The seeds are brown and 6 mm long by 4 mm wide and 2 mm thick. They are curved up at one end.
How to Grow
It can be grown from seed. The hard seed coat needs to be broken. It can be grown from cuttings.
Medicinal Uses
Used medicinally.
References (2)
- Ferns, Useful Tropical Plants
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
