Lepistemon owariense

Family: Convolvulaceae

What it is like

A robust twining herb. It grows 3 m high. It keeps growing from year to year. The stems are covered with long yellow brown bristly hairs. The leaves are alternate and simple. They are heart shaped and up to 15 cm long. There can be small lobes or large teeth. There are many flowers in a group. The flower tube is white. The fruit is an oval capsule.

There are 10 Lepistemon species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in rain-forest and scrub in West Africa. In Malawi it grows in forest along rivers. It grows between 1,100-1,370 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, East Africa, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The leaves are boiled and eaten as a vegetable.

A minor vegetable of local importance.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Katabe-tabe, Mpululwa

Synonyms

Convolvulus owariensis Spreng.; Convolvulus urceolatus Spreng.; Ipomoea owariensis Beauv.; Ipomoea repandula Baker; Ipomoea urceolata R. Br.; Lepistemon africanum Oliv.; Lepistemon lingnosum Dammer;