Caua-piri
Geophila repens

Family: Rubiaceae

What it is like

A herb. It creeps along the ground. It has underground stems or rhizomes. It forms roots at the nodes. The stems are 20-30 cm long. They have flattened hairs. The flowering shoots are 7.5 cm high. The leaves are kidney shaped with a round tip. They are 3.5 cm long by 5.5 cm wide. There can be some hairs underneath. The leaf stalk is 11.5 cm long. The flowers usually occur singly. They are white. The fruit is a berry. It is 5-12 mm across. It is shiny orange-red when ripe. It has the remains of the calyx at the top.

There are about 20-30 Geophila species. Most are tropical.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the forest in West Africa and many other tropical places. It grows in shady, wet forest floors. It grows between 300-1,140 m above sea level. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level. In Yunnan. In Calicut Uni BG.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, American Samoa, Antilles, Asia, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indochina, Jamaica, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pacific, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Rotuma, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, South America (country/location of origin), Suriname, Taiwan, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Wallis and Futuna, West Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Leaves - drink

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Asaikyirisaem, Corrida yerba de guava, Ekoro, Jelen mudu ta'pe, Kiuka pahu panka, Oreja del diablo, Shikshi panka, Sigueme, Supay rinri, Tetana, Tetewa, Ti togo, Tono, Txiv quav yaj teb

Synonyms

Carinta repens (L.) L. B. Sm. & Downs; Geopila obvallata (Schumach.) T.Didr.; Geophila uniflora Hiern.; Rondeletia repens L.; and others