Creeping raphio
Raphionacme procumbens
Family: Apocynaceae
What it is like
A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It has a flattened round tuber. This can be 15 cm across. The stems are 40 cm long and lie along the ground. They are velvety and brown. The leaves are opposite and narrowly oval. They are 3-6 cm long and leathery. They are dark green and velvety above. They are pale green and more velvety underneath. The flowers occur as many together in rounded heads. The lobes are oval or triangle shaped and 4 mm long by 2 mm wide. They are velvety. They are dark red or violet at the base. The fruit is a single follicle that hangs down. It is oval and 4 cm long. It ends in a point.
Also put in the family Asclepiadaceae.
Where it is found
It is a tropical plant. It grows in grassland and open woodland. In Zimbabwe it grows between 350-1,900 m above sea level.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
The fruit are eaten as a snack.
Edible parts
Fruit, root ?
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Imfuce