Coccinia barteri

Family: Cucurbitaceae

What it is like

A climbing or trailing herb. The stems lie along the ground and can be 15 m long. The stems are slender. The leaf blade is 8-16 cm long by 5-20 cm wide. The leaves vary. They may not have lobes or can have 3-5 lobes arranged like fingers on a hand. They are leathery and have widely spaced teeth along the edge. There are tendrils. Plants are separately male and female. The male flowers are stout and there are 3-25 in a group. The female flowers are more dense and with 2-12 flowers. They are yellow to orange. The fruit is oval and 4 cm long by 3 cm wide. They are smooth and red. They are usually in clusters.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in coastal rain-forest and swamp forest between 700-1,050 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, East Africa, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Leaves

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Kgaba, Mmadikgonyana

Synonyms

Staphylosyce barteri Hook. f.; Physedra barteri (Hook. f.) Cogn.; Physedra heterophylla Hook. f.;