Medinilla mirabilis

Family: Melastomataceae

What it is like

A climbing shrub or creeper. The stems can be 10 m long. The leaves are simple and usually arranged in rings of 4. They are leathery and young leaves are red. The leaf stalk is 2 cm long. The leaf blade is oval and 15-30 cm long by 5-15 cm wide. The base is rounded and it often tapers to the tip. The flowers are in groups at the nodes along the stem. They are near ground level. The flowers have both sexes. The fruit is an urn shaped false berry. It is 1.5 cm long. It is dark purple and has many seeds. The seeds are wedge shaped and 1 mm long.

There are about 400 Medinilla species. They are mostly in tropical Asia.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in the forest zone in West Africa. It grows from sea level up to 700 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Cameroon, Central Africa, Gabon, Nigeria, West Africa

How it is used for food

The young leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They are often cooked with meat of fish to give an acid taste.

It is a minor wild vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Myrianthemum mirabile Gilg.;