Gynura amplexicaulis

Family: Asteraceae

What it is like

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 40-100 cm high. It has an unpleasant musky smell. It has a tuberous rootstock. The tubers are 10 cm long by 5 cm across. The stems are fleshy. The leaves are in rings. The leaves at the base are spoon shaped and 4-22 cm long by 3-11 cm wide.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, West Africa, Zambia

How it is used for food

Caution: Some kinds can be high in oxalates and these need to be removed by boiling and changing the cooking water.

It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Leaves - flavouring

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Fugumba, Sitta

Synonyms

Senecio claessensii (De Willd.) Humbert & Staner; Crassocephalum amplexicaulis (Oliv. & Hiern) S. Moore; Gynura claessensii De Willd.; Gynura miniata Welw.;