Pachycarpus lineolatus

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

A single stemmed plant. It is erect and keeps growing from year to year. It puts up annual stems. It grows 1.5 m high. The roots are thick and spindle shaped. They have a white flesh and milky sap. The flowers are tinged purple. The fruit are made of 2 follicles. They are spindle shaped and 12 cm long by 7 cm wide.

It is used as a medicine. This may be the same as Pachycarpus bisacculatus in Zimbabwe.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the savannah.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The roots are powdered or dried then boiled.

Edible parts

Roots, caution

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bafurma, Cupunco, Fiye, Mullibe

Synonyms

Asclepias browniana S. Moore; Asclepias lineolata (Decne) Schltr.; Gomphocarpus lineolatus Decne;