Baccharoides
Baccharoides hymenolepis

Family: Asteraceae

What it is like

Baccharoides hymenolepis is a perennial plant of up to 4-12 m tall found in tropical Africa. It is commonly cultivated as food plant.Plant parts are medicinally used as treatment for pneumonia, abdominal pains, jaundice, and diarrhoea among others. The leaves are edible - raw, cooked, or dried for later use. Dried stems and branches are used as fuel. The plant is also used as an ornamental.

Baccharoides hymenolepis is an evergreen Shrub growing to 4 m (13ft) by 3 m (9ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. The flowers are pollinated by Insects, Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 4

Where it is found

Along rivers and roadsides, in forest margins, old cultivation sites and bushed grassland, also in montane forest and often found in disturbed habitats; usually at elevations from 1,200 - 3,000 metres, sometimes descending to 600 metres.

Tropical Africa - Sudan, Ethiopia, eastern DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zi

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Coming Soon

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Leaves - raw or cooked. Eaten in salads, as a potherb or used as a garnish. The leaves can be dried for later use. The leaves are less bitter than related species that are used in the same ways, such as bitterleaf (Gymnanthemum amygdalinum).

Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The plant is used medicinally as a cure for pneumonia. Juice from the crushed leaves is used to treat jaundice, and also diarrhoea in babies. A hot leaf placed on a wound is said to stop bleeding. A root decoction is used as a purgative and to treat abdominal pains. The sesquiterpene lactone vernolepin was isolated from plant material collected in Ethiopia. This compound showed antitumour activity and platelet anti-aggregating properties.

Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.

Antitumor: Preventing, or effective against, tumors, it is used in the treatment of cancer. Probably synonymous with Cytotoxic.

Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.

Other

Rating: 3

Other uses rating: Medium (3/5). Agroforestry Uses: The plant is sometimes planted as a hedge around homes and gardens, both for vegetable use and for the ornamental value of the large white or purple flowering heads. The plants help to stabilize the soil, especially on slopes. Other Uses Dry branches and stems serve as fuel.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Hedge: Hedge

How it is grown

Baccharoides hymenolepis is a plant of moderate elevations in the tropics where it can be grown up to 3,000 metres. The plants thrive at temperatures of less than 30°c. The minimum mean annual rainfall required is 840mm. Generally, the plants grow well in a loose, moist soil that is rich in humus. The degree of soil fertility greatly influences leaf size. The plant is very sensitive to drought. Seedlings are tasted when they are being planted out and the more bitter seedlings are discarded. This selection process not only secures a better quality crop, but also serves to reduce bitterness in the next generations. Early growth of young plants during the rainy season is so rapid that they grow as tall as 40 - 50cm in just 4 weeks. This rapid growth continues as long as there is ample moisture in the soil. Harvesting the leaves starts 4 - 6 weeks after sowing or 6 - 8 weeks after transplanting. Harvesting is done either by cutting the young shoots or gathering the leaves only. Although the harvest of leaves only is often preferred, this system may adversely affect the development of the plant. Best results are obtained during the rainy season by cutting the shoots at 5 - 10cm above the soil, which will then be replaced by one or two side shoots. These side shoots could be harvested 3 - 4 weeks later and, depending on soil moisture and fertility, this process could be repeated two or three times. In the dry season, when new shoots develop only slowly if at all, farmers pick the leaves only. The highest yields are obtained during the rainy season. An initial harvest of stems yields about 1 kilo per square metre, this decreases to about 500 grammes on the third harvest. Flower initiation begins with the onset of the dry season or during periods of drought.

Propagating it: Seed - it can be sown in situ, but is more commonly sown by broadcasting, or by sowing in lines, on raised nursery beds - these are shaded to prevent excessive evaporation. Germination commences within 5 days. When the seedlings are 2 - 3 weeks old, with 4 - 6 leaves, they are pruned by nipping the growing point and are then transplanted with a ball of soil to their permanent positions. Cuttings. Stems with 4 buds, taken from mature plants, are used; they are planted slanting. Rooting of the cuttings is not always successful and plant growth is much slower than in seedlings, so that this method is only used in home gardens when a particular plant type is appreciated.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Baccharoides hymenolepis or Carqueja

Synonyms

Baccharoides calvoana var. microcephala (C.D.Adams, Vernonia homilocephala S.Moore