Leptadenia arborea

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

A slender climber. The branches have small hairs near the tips. The leaves are 2-6 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. They vary in shape The flowers are in groups of 5-20 and are greenish-yellow. The fruit are follicles 6-8 cm long by 1 cm wide.

Also put in the family Asclepiadaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Algeria, Arabia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Middle East, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, Sahara, Sahel, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, West Africa, Yemen

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten. The leaves, young shoots and flowers are used to flavour soups.

The fruit are eaten especially by children.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves- flavouring, flowers - flavouring

How it is grown

It can be trained to climb over walls and fences.

Its other names

Local names

Al lende, Lahiri

Synonyms

Cynanchum arboreum Forssk.; Cynanchum heterophyllum Delile; Leptadenia heterophylla (Delile) Decne.; and others