Rivierkool
Platycarphella carlinoides

Family: Asteraceae

What it is like

A herb. It has a taproot but no stem. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 40 cm high. The leaves have a smell when crushed. The leaves spread out like a star in a ring. They do not have leaf stalks. The leaves can be 20 cm long. There can be teeth around the edge. The leaves are silvery grey underneath with felty hairs. The flower heads have many small disc florets. These flower heads to not have stalks and cover the head of the root. The flowers are purple.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in hot arid places. It grows in places with a marked dry season. The dry season can be 6-11 months. It can grow in stony and silty soils that are seasonally waterlogged. In southern Africa it grows between 700-1,650 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa

How it is used for food

The taproot is eaten and tastes like a cabbage.

Edible parts

Root, tuber

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Kurukua, Polsterpflanze

Synonyms

Platycarpha carlinoides Oliv. & Hiern;