Curculigo pilosa

(Schum. et Thonn.) Engl.

African crocus

HypoxidaceaeRootsSeeds/NutsPotential hazards — see below

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc-sa
(c) marcoschmidt.frankfurt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by marcoschmidt.frankfurt

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) alassanesakpega, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Nicholas Wightman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Bulb, Seeds capsule

The seed capsule is eaten. The peduncle of the flower on fertilisation retracts the capsule down to the ground at the base of the plant. It has medicinal usages: in N Nigeria as a purgative, and in Congo (Brazzaville) as a remedy for hernia. In Central African Republic the root reduced to a pulp is applied topically to swellings held to be of fetish origin by porcupines or by aardvark.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in seasonally marshy savannah in West Africa.

Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, East Africa, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

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. It has tuber like rhizomes. It has a cluster of grass like leaves. These are 60 cm long. The flower shoots are 20 cm long. The capsule retracts down to the base of the plant.

Medicinal Uses

The roots are considered to be aphrodisiac, astringent, demulcent and purgative. They are used in the treatment of conditions such as leukaemia, gonorrhoea, coughs.

Notes

There are 10 Curculigo species.

Names & Synonyms

Kapel-guire

Gethylis pilosa Schumach. & Thonn.

References (4)

Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 2. Kew.
Dalziel, J. M., 1937, The Useful plants of west tropical Africa. Crown Agents for the Colonies London.
Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 73
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 30