Duosperma crenatum

Family: Acanthaceae

What it is like

An erect branched herb. The stems are hairs and four sided. They can be 1.2 m long. They are often tangled and forma thicket. The leaves are opposite and can have teeth towards the tip. They are 8 cm long by 4 cm wide. The flowers are white with purple marks. The flowers occur in groups along the stem. The flowers have pale green bracts around them. The fruit is a 2 sided capsule. It is 8 mm long and flattened. It contains round seeds.

There are about 15 Duosperma species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in damp shady places. It grows in dry rocky woodland between 300-1,000 m above sea level. In Tanzania it grows between 900-1,400 m above sea level. It can grow in arid areas and semi-desert.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Botswana, East Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Southern Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The young leaves are chopped and cooked as a vegetable. Caution: The old yellowing leaves are considered poisonous.

A minor leaf vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves, caution, vegetable

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed.

Leaves are collected during the rainy season.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Hygrophila crenata Lindau; Disperma parviflorum (Lindau) C. B. Clarke; Disperma crenatum (Lindau) Milne-Redh.;