Eriosema chrysadenium
Family: Fabaceae
What it is like
An erect herb. The stems are 50 cm high. It grows from a woody rootstock. It has a series of small tubers. They are almost round and 1.5 cm across. The stems have small hairs. The leaves are broadly oval and velvety on both surfaces. The flowers are on long hairy stalks and in the axils of leaves or at the ends of branches. They are dark black-brown outside and creamy pink inside. The fruit are pods 1.2 mm long by 9 mm wide.
Where it is found
It is a tropical plant. It grows in mountain grassland and wooded savannah. It grows between 1,470-2,340 m above sea level.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
A famine food.
Edible parts
Tubers, root