Common pentanisia
Pentanisia schweinfurthii

Family: Rubiaceae

What it is like

A small herb. It is erect and branched. It grows 25 cm tall. It grows from a fleshy root stock. The leaves are simple and borne in pairs. The leaves are oval and taper to the base. There is no leaf stalk. The leaves are about 2.5 cm long. The flowers are in heads. They are tube shaped and small and blue.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows at high elevations in Malawi. It can resist fire. Fire is probably needed to stimulate flowering. In Zimbabwe it grows between 800-2,250 m above sea level. It grows in grassland and open woodland.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The leaves are cooked and eaten.

It is a minor vegetable of local importance in the dry season.

Edible parts

Leaves, flowers, vegetable

How it is grown

They are used in the dry season.

Its other names

Local names

Cisanki, Dambuli, Mlangaze, Ngulungundi, Sankimafuta

Synonyms

Pentanisia crassifolia K. Krause;