Kedrostis leloja

Family: Cucurbitaceae

What it is like

A herb. It is a pumpkin family plant. It can grow each year from seeds or keep growing from year to year. It is 1 m long. It is a climber. It has a taproot and puts up annual stems. It has simple tendrils. The leaves are simple with 5 shallow lobes. The leaves are 6 cm long by 10 cm across. The lobes widen at the tip. The male and female flowers are separate on the same plant. They are small and greenish-yellow. The male flowers are on a hanging stalk and the female flowers on a short stalk. The fruit are green and turn orange as they ripen. They are oblong.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in woodland and grassland. It grows from sea level to 1,700 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Middle East, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The leaves are eaten as a vegetable and used to flavour other foods. They are chopped and cooked in coconut milk or pounded with peanuts. It is a staple food. The fruit are eaten raw.

The fruit are eaten especially by children. It is a minor vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves, fruit, vegetable

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

The leaves and fruit are collected during the rainy season.

Its other names

Local names

Durinbo, Garto, Nyandanga

Synonyms

Cyrtonema hirtellum Hochst. ex Naudin; Kedrostis cufodontis Chiov.; Kedrostis eminens Dinter & Gilg ex Cogn.; Kedrostis gilgiana Cogn.; Kedrostis hirtella (Naudin) Cogn.; Kedrostis ledermannii Cogn.; Kedrostis natalensis (Hook.f.) A. Meeuse; Kedrostis rautanenii Cogn.; Kedrostis rigidiuscula Cogn.; Rhynchocarpa hirtella Naudin; Toxanthera kwebensis N. E. Br.; Toxanthera lugardae N. E. Br.; Toxanthera natalensis Hook.f.; Turia leloja Forssk. ex J. F. Gmel.;