Monechma debile

Family: Acanthaceae

What it is like

An annual herb. It grows 50 cm high. It has fine hairs. The leaves on the main stem have stalks 2 cm long. The leaves are sword shaped and 10 cm long by 2 cm wide. The flowering shoots are at the ends of branches and in the axils of leaves. These have clusters of flowers. The fruit are about 5 mm long and downy.

Where it is found

It grows in the lowveld in Swaziland. It grows in a variety of locations especially disturbed ground. It is best on well-drained sandy soil. It grows from 15 to 1,500 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Botswana, East Africa, Eswatini, India, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The leaves are cooked in vegetable dishes. The tubers and rhizomes are also cooked and eaten. They are roasted in the ashes under the fire.

Edible parts

Leaves, roots, tubers, rhizomes

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Tubwani

Synonyms

Dianthera debilis Forssk.; Monechma bracteatum Hochst.; Monechma tettense C. B. Clarke; Monechma monechmoides (S. Moore) Hutch.;