Astral pachycarpus
Pachycarpus concolor

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year from a cylinder shaped tuber by producing annual stems. There can be one or several stems and they can be erect or lie along the ground. They sometimes branch near the base. They can be 1 m tall. They are hairy. The leaves are opposite. They are oval or narrowly sword shaped. They are 16 cm long by 4 cm wide. There are hairs on both surfaces. The flowers are in groups of 1 to 7 near the top of the stems. The flowers have a scent. The flowers are bell shaped and reddish-brown outside and white or pink inside. The fruit is an erect sac on a twisted stalk. It can be 12 cm long by 3 cm wide. There are 6 ridges along it.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in open burned grassland. In Zimbabwe it grows between 1,300-2,500 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Botswana, East Africa, Eswatini, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The leaves are used as a vegetable but it is bitter.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Lichogina, Munenzva zimayi

Synonyms

Asclepias concolor (E. Mey.) Schltr.; Gomphocarpus concolor (E. Mey.) Decne; Xysmalobium concolor (E. Mey.) D. Dietr.;