Heliotropium zeylanicum

Family: Boraginaceae

What it is like

A erect herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 80 cm tall. It has a long thick rootstock and can be a spreading plant. The stems are branched and woody at the base. They have hairs. The leaves are long and thin. They are 9 cm long and 1 cm wide. They have a sharp tip and narrow at the base. The flowers are small and greenish-yellow. They form along a spike like stalk. The fruit is rounded and 2 mm long. It breaks into 4 nutlets.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. In grows in dry bushland and grassland from sea level to 1,700 m above sea level in Tanzania.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Comoros, East Africa, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Socotra, Somalia, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa

How it is used for food

The young leaves are chopped and cooked either alone or with other vegetables.

Edible parts

Vegetable

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed.

Leaves are collected during the rainy season.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Heliotropium curassavicum var. zeylanicum Burmf.; Heliotropium subulatum (Hochst. ex DC.) Vatke; Heliotropium subulatum (Hochst. ex DC.) Hochst. ex Martelli; Tournefortia subulata Hochst. ex A. DC.; Tournefortia zeylanica (Burm. f.) Wight;