Australian cow-plant
Gymnema sylvestre

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

A small climber. It grows 1-3 m tall. It has a woody rootstock and slender stems. Young growth is softly hairy. The leaves are 2.5-5 cm long by 1.5-2 cm wide. They are oval or sword shaped. The flowers are 0.3 cm across. The flowers occur in paired groups in the axils of leaves. The follicles are 6-8 cm long by 0.8-1 cm wide. They are slender and pointed.

It is used in medicine. It is useful for tackling diabetes. There are about 25 Gymnema species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in open woods, bushland between 100–1000 m altitude in China. It can be on the edges of mangroves and along rivers. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, China, Congo, East Africa, Gabon, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Laos, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, SE Asia, Senegal, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Vietnam, West Africa

How it is used for food

The leaves when chewed paralyse the sense of taste for sweet and sour. The leaves are used as a potherb. Caution: The fruit are roasted in hot ashes.

Edible parts

Leaves, fruit, caution, vegetable, sap

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed.

Its other names

Local names

Adigam, Buko-bipilate, Chi geng teng, Gumar, Kavali, Podapatri, Pola atram, Sirukuranjan

Synonyms

Apocynum alterniflorum Loureiro; Gymnema affine Decaisne; Gymnema alterniflorum (Loureiro) Merrill; Gymnema formosanum War-burg; Gymnema sylvestre var. chinensis Bentham; Periploca sylvestris Retzius;