Fringed spiderplant
Cleome rutidosperma

Family: Cleomaceae

What it is like

An annual herb. It grows 50 cm tall. It branches from the base. The stems have fine hairs. The leaves are alternate and have 3 leaflets. The leaf stalks is 7 cm long. The leaflets are 1-6 cm long by 1-2.5 cm wide.

There are about 150 Cleome species. Also put in the family Capparaceae and they may be changed to the Brassicaceae. It possibly has anti-cancer properties.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows at low altitudes in hot humid conditions. It grows up to 400 m above sea level. It grows in areas with a rainfall between 1,700-3,000 mm. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa (country/location of origin), Angola, Asia, Australia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, China, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, East Africa, Equatorial-Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guiana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Laos, Liberia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nigeria, North America, Pacific, Philippines, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Virgin Islands, West Africa, West Indies, West Timor, Zambia

How it is used for food

The leaves are collected and cooked as a vegetable or added to soup. They have a bitter taste.

It is cultivated in some places. It is a vegetable of local importance only.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bodji-bu-butsangi, Garseya, Inzi, Kabangasheshe, Kinaski ciile, Maman, Mu ala, Mushaaka kanamafuji, Nanjinda

Synonyms

Cleome ciliata Schumach. & Thonn.; Cleome guineensis Hook. f.; Cleome thyrsiflora De Willd. & T. Durand;