Ludwigia erecta

Family: Onagraceae

What it is like

An annual herb. It can grow up to 3 m high. It has a woody base. The stems are sharply angled. The leaves are 2-13 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. They are sword shaped. There are 16-27 main veins on each side of the midrib. The flowers occur singly in the axils of the upper leaves. The fruit is a capsule 10-19 mm long by about 2 mm wide. It is 4 angled.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in open waste places and in river sandbanks and wet places in West Africa. It grows from sea level to uplands. It grows to 1,200 m above sea level. It grows in flooded rice fields.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ethiopia, Europe, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Southern Africa, South America (country/location of origin), Sudan, Tanzania, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

A minor vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Boro-boro-be, Boro-boro-faro, Boro-boro, Iyi kuri, Kiringere, Nama, Nikawi, Shash

Synonyms

Isnarda discolor Klotzsch; Jussiaea erecta Linn.;