African crocus
Curculigo pilosa

Family: Hypoxidaceae

What it is like

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.

There are 10 Curculigo species.

Where it is found

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

Countries/locations it is found in

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

How it is used for food

The seed capsule is eaten raw.

Edible parts

Bulb, seeds capsule

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Kapel-guire

Synonyms

Gethylis pilosa Schumach. & Thonn.;