Cryptolepis sanguinolenta

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

A scrambling shrub or woody climber. The branches can be 8 m long. They contain yellow-orange sap. The leaves are opposite, simple and entire. The leaf blades are oval and 3-10 cm long by 1-6 cm wide. The base is rounded and it tapers to the tip. The flowers are in groups in the axils of leaves. These are 8 cm long and the groups are loose. The flower are 1.5 cm long and greenish-yellow. The fruit are a pair of spreading follicles. These are narrow and cylinder shaped and 18 cm long by 5 mm wide. The seeds are 12 mm long. They have silky hairs.

An extract or the root is used in medicine. It has anticancer properties. Also put in the family Asclepiadaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows on mountain slopes in West Africa. It grows up to 800 m above sea level. It grows in woodland and along rivers.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, East Africa, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa

How it is used for food

The leaves are eaten as a vegetable at least in Burkina Faso.

It is getting attention as a medicinal plant.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Seeds need to be planted fresh. They can be put in a nursery and transplanted.

Its other names

Local names

Bumbine, Bumbipe, Butnacimbore, Cuntesse, Funhalunco, Kafulu, Mansahane, Muganga kiba, Porecududo

Synonyms

Pergularia sanguinolenta Lindl.;