Cissus aralioides

Family: Vitaceae

What it is like

A large creeper. It can be 25 m long. It is woody at the base. It climbs to the top of the forest canopy. The stems are green and succulent. The leaf stalks are slender and fleshy. They are 9-12 cm long. The leaves are compound with 5 leaflets. The leaflets are oblong and 5-8 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. There are small teeth along the edge and a point at the tip. The flowers are in compound groups. There can be 10-12 flowers in a group. The flowers are greenish white. The fruit is a round berry 2.5 cm across. It is bluish-purple and has one seed.

There are about 200-350 Cissus species. There are about 75 species in tropical America.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in deciduous forest and on the edge of the jungle.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, East Africa, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, West Africa, Zambia

How it is used for food

The seeds are cooked and eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Asirimu, Blabe, Eke agwo, Ensule, Ogoga

Synonyms

Cissus caillei A. Chev.; Cissus constricta (Baker) Planch. ex A. Chev.; Cissus oliviformis Planch.; Vitis aralioides Welw. ex Baker; Vitis constricta Baker;