Kedrostis gijef

Family: Cucurbitaceae

What it is like

A herb. It is a pumpkin family plant. It grows 5 m long. It has simple tendrils. The stems can be 10 cm across. The leaves are simple and kidney shaped or heart shaped. They are 3-5 lobes. They are 1-6 cm long by 2-9 cm wide. The flowers are yellowish green. The male flowers can be in clusters of up to 50 and the female flowers are solitary. The fruit are oval and green with paler stripes. They turn red when ripe.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. In Kenya it grows in dry lowland areas. It can grow in arid places. It grows between 100-1,100 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Arabia, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Yemen

How it is used for food

The fruit are used as a dessert fruit. The leaves are eaten as a vegetable.

The fruit are eaten especially by children.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable, fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds or cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Gaale, Galboob, Ged saar, Sarkehukum, Witulu

Synonyms

Corallocarpus gijef Hook.; Corallocarpus parvifolius Cogn.; Rhynocarpus gijef Schweinf. Turia gijef Pehr Forsskal;