Fadogia ancylantha

Hiern.

Makoni tea bush

RubiaceaeFruitLeavesFlowers

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(c) Mac H. Alford, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Mac H. Alford

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(c) Bart Wursten, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Fruit, Nectar

The ripe fleshy fruits are eaten raw, dry leaves are boiled for tea, and children suck the nectar from the flowers.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in woodland and wooded grassland. It grows between 850-1,680 m altitude. It is often on termite mounds.

Africa, Burundi, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, 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 low growing woody shrub with a woody rootstock 2 cm across. It grows up to 1.8 m tall. There are 2-6 stems. The stems are 3 angled and slightly hairy. The leaves are in pairs or rings of three. They are 3-11 cm long by 1-7 cm wide. The flowers are usually as 2-3 together. They are 2 cm long. They are greenish-yellow and tube shaped. The fruit are grey-green and 12 mm across. They can have 5 lobes.

How to Grow

Plants can be grown from fresh seeds.

Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe.

Other Uses

Roots are chewed and then used as a toothbrush which helps stop bleeding from the gums.

Production

In Tanzania the ripe fruit are collected from October to January. The dried leaves can be stored for use for tea.

Other Information

The fruit are especially eaten by children.

Names & Synonyms

Booami, Candatala, Chandantala, Kasasyito, Kindokoli, Manduguli, Maso a ng'ombe, Memenela, Meso ga ng'ombe, Msamba ana, Nhecamutiti, Njoga, Umunyamabuye

Fadogia fuchsioides Oliv.Fadogia obovata N. E. Br.Temnocalyx ancylanthus (Hiern) RobynsTemnocalyx fuchsioides sensu RobynsTemnocalyx obovatus (N. E. Br.) Robyns

References (13)

Flora Zambesiaca. http://apps.kew.org/efloras
Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 56
http://www.fao.org/forestry/25323-096344a3de335832e8f363c3ac5184a66.pdf
INFOODSUpdatedFGU-list.xls
Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 165 (As Temnocalyx obovatus)
Malaisse, F., 1997, Se nourrir en floret claire africaine. Approche ecologique et nutritionnelle. CTA., p 69 (As Temnocalyx obovatus)
Msola, D. K., 2007, The role of Wild Foods in Household Income and Food Security in Mufundi District, Tanzania. Morogoro, Tanzania. p 44
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 169
Ruffo, C. K., Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B., 2002, Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania. RELMA p 314
Tredgold, M.H., 1986, Food Plants of Zimbabwe. Mambo Press. p 68
Williamson, 1975, (As Temnocalyx obovatus)
Williamson, J., 2005, Useful Plants of Malawi. 3rd. Edition. Mdadzi Book Trust. p 243 (As Temnocalyx obovatus)
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew