Short-pod
Rourea orientalis

Family: Connaraceae

What it is like

A climbing shrub. It loses its leaves during the year. It grows 6 m high or higher. It can lie along the ground. There are 8-16 pairs of leaflets. They are 2-4 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. The flowering stalk is 6 cm long. The flowers have a sweet lemon scent. The petals are white to yellow. The fruit is a follicle. It is reddish-brown. It is 2 cm long by 1 cm wide. The seed is 1.6 cm long by 0.8 cm wide. It has a bright red layer around it.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in dry thickets and forests. It grows between 200-1,600 m altitude. It grows on termite mounds.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Southern Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The dried leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They are dried in the sun, pounded and sieved and the powder put into hot water and stirred and boiled to make a thick vegetable paste that is then eaten with other foods. Caution: Often when leaves are dried this removes a poison.

It is a popular vegetable in some places.

Edible parts

Leaves, roots, tubers, vegetable

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by seeds or cuttings.

In Tanzania the leaves are collected from November to June. The powdered form can be stored for several months.

Its other names

Local names

Hombo kisogo, Kamenambuzi, Kapakati, Kisogo, Liyenzi, Marumoro, Mhombo, Msalanjazi, Mudzumamuriro, Musunzi, Ntandanyerere, Sonange

Synonyms

Byrsocarpus orientalis (Baill.) Bak.; Byrsocarpus tomentosus Schell.; Rourea bailloniana Gilg. ex Schellenb.; Rourea ovalifoliolata Gilg.;