Habenaria walleri

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OrchidaceaeRootsPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Pseudobulbs, Tubers, Root

The tubers require special preparation: washing, pounding, skin removal, sun-drying, repounding, boiling in water, drying again, and finally boiling with salt before eating. The tubers are sold in local markets.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in marshes and grassland. In Tanzania it grows between 1,000-2,000 m above sea level.

Africa, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Gabon, Guinea, Guinée, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, 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

An orchid. It is a slender herb. It grows in the soil. It grows up to 80 cm tall. The tuber is 4 cm long by 2 cm wide. There are 7-10 erect leaves. They are oval and the largest one is 6-14 cm long. The leaves are close to the stem. The flowers are large and white with green sepals. They form a head 8-28 cm long. They have a sweet scent at night. The fruit are thin capsules that open by slits to release the very small seeds.

How to Grow

Plants can be grown from tubers.

Medicinal Uses

The roots are pounded and soaked in cold water. The resulting liquid is used in the treatment of stomach-ache.

Production

In Tanzania tubers are harvested May to July. Tubers can be stored in a cool dry place for several weeks.

Other Information

Tubers are sold in local markets.

Notes

There are about 500-600 Habenaria species. It is becoming rare due to over harvesting. Plants should be cultivated not simply harvested from the wild.

Names & Synonyms

Chinaka, Chikande

Habenaria soyauxii Kraenzl.

References (8)

Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4. Kew.
Campbell, B. (Ed.), 1996, The Miombo in Transition: Woodlands and Welfare in Africa. CIFOR p 105
Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 87
Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 79
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 36
Ruffo, C. K., Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B., 2002, Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania. RELMA p 362
Williamson, J., 2005, Useful Plants of Malawi. 3rd. Edition. Mdadzi Book Trust. p 128
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew