Crossopteryx febrifuga

Family: Rubiaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 2-5 m tall. The crown is round and the branches hang down. The leaves are narrowly oval and can be almost round. They can be hairy. The flowers are in a dense group at the ends of the branches. They are yellow and the tube is tinged pink. The fruit is a black capsule about 1 cm long. The seeds are thin and flat.

It is probably only a medicine but is widely used.

Where it is found

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

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo DR, Congo R, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves, medicine

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Balembo

Synonyms

Chomelia angolensis Kuntze; Rondeletia fegrifuga Afzel. ex G. Don; and others