Magic rope
Ocinotis tenuiloba

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

A shrub or creeper. It can grow 30 m long. The stems yield a milky sap. The leaves are opposite and shiny. They are tough and leathery. The base is wedge shaped and the tip is pointed. The leaves are 6-14 cm long by 2.5 cm wide. The flowers are in open panicles in the axils of the leaves. These can be 10 cm long. The corolla tube is 4 cm long and there are curved green lobes 7.5 cm long. The seed is a1 cm long and have white bristles.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Central Africa, Congo DR

How it is used for food

The latex is diluted in water and then drunk to increase milk flow by nursing mothers.

Edible parts

Latex or sap

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Nyonsinyonsi, Yonsiyonsi

Synonyms

Motandra erlangeri K. Schum.; Oncinotis chirindica S. Moore; Ocinotis inandensis J. M. Wood & Evans; Ocinotis natalensis Stapf;