Sheep's grass
Zornia glochidiata

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

An annual herb. It can be branching or straggling. It grows 30-70 cm high. The stems can be slightly woody at the base. There is a taproot. The leaves have 2 leaflets. The upper leaflets are 6-45 mm long by 2-14 mm wide. They are oval or sword shaped. There is a tip at the end. The flower standards are white, red or orange with red veins. The wings are yellow or pink. The fruit are pods 11-17 mm long. They have bristles.

There are about 80 Zornia species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in dry sandy locations in West Africa. In southern Africa it grows between 100-1,500 m altitude. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall above 550 mm. It can grow in arid places. It grows in the Sahel.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahel, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The leaves are pounded and eaten in sauces and with rice or couscous.

It is a minor vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Dengere, Dengo, Molo dasi, Ndengermete, Ndenguerme, Nenguemene, Rengeema, Regueme, Sukeli

Synonyms

Zorna diphylla null;