Mutkuru
Coccinia adoensis

Family: Cucurbitaceae

What it is like

A pumpkin family herb. It is a slender climber. It has annual climbing stems. It grows up to 6 m long. The stems are furrowed and hairy when young. The leaves are deeply lobed and look like fingers on a hand. The edges of the leaves have shallow teeth. The leaf shape can vary on the one plant. The flowers are separately male and female on separate plants. Male flowers are yellow and in clusters. The female flowers are small, yellow and occur singly. The fruit is oblong and about 2.5-5 cm long. It is bright red when ripe.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It occurs in medium to low rainfall areas. It grows with rainfalls of 450-800 mm. It grows from sea level to 2,140 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. It often grows on termite mounds.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Botswana, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo, East Africa, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

CAUTION: The roots are poisonous unless carefully cooked. The leaves are cooked and eaten. The fruit are eaten raw when ripe or cooked as a vegetable. The roots are eaten after processing. They need to be well cooked.

The fruit are eaten especially by children. The roots are a famine food.

Edible parts

Tuber, root, fruit, leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bukalabwambwa, Chinkhaka, Fwifwi, Lukokoti, Mphwimpwi, Mugwingwi, Nleza, Nyayambo, Tambalanjoka, Thong-diit

Synonyms

Cephalandra pubescens Sond.; Coccinia djurensis Gilg.; Coccinia hartmanniana Schweinf.; Coccinia homblei Cogn.; Coccinia jatrophaefolia (A. Rich.) Cogn.; Coccinia parvifolia Cogn.; Coccinia princeae Gilg.; Coccinia pubescens (Sond.) Harms; Coccinia rigida Gilg.; Coccinia roseiflora Suess.; Coccinia subspicata Cogn.; Momordica adoensis A. Rich.; Coccinia aostae Buscal. & Muschl.; Bryonia jatrifolia A. Rich.;