Pouzolzia guineensis

Family: Urticaceae

What it is like

A herb. It can be woody at the base. It grows 1-2 m tall. It varies a lot. It can grow each year from seed or last for a few years. The leaves are alternate and simple. The leaf stalk is about 3 cm long. The blade is sword shaped or oval and 2-9 cm long by 1-4 cm wide. The flowers are in groups on the axils of leaves. There are 1-2 female flowers and several male flowers. The fruit is flat and dry. It is 2 mm long.

There are 50 Pouzolzia species. There are 14 Pouzolzia species in tropical America.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in open places and near villages in the forest zone of West Africa. It is often in moist shaded woodland. It grows between 600-1,300 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Asia, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Equatorial-Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, West Africa

How it is used for food

The leaves are eaten as a cooked vegetable.

It is popular locally.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Duge, Foto suri, Meteme, Monna, Nana, Nonono

Synonyms

Pouzolzia abyssinica (A. Rich.) Blume; Pouzolzia dewevrei De Wild. ex Th. Dur.; Pouzolzia golugensis Hiern;