Cayratia debilis

Family: Vitaceae

What it is like

A slender climber. It is 5 m long. It is slightly woody and keeps growing from year to year. There are branched tendrils opposite the leaves. The leaves are alternate and and have 5 leaflets. The leaf stalks are 4-12 cm long. The leaflets are narrowly oval and 12 cm long by 5.5 cm wide. They are rounded at the base and taper to the tip. The flowers can have one or both sexes. The petals are triangle shaped and greenish-white or yellow. The fruit is a flattened fleshy berry. It is 3 mm long by 5 mm wide. They are white and turn blue-black. There are 2-4 seeds.

There are about 50 Cayratia species. It has some medicinal uses.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in the forest.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Uganda, West Africa

How it is used for food

The leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

It is a minor vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Kerenda, Liane a saucisses, Titanli

Synonyms

Cissus debilis (Bak.) Planch.;