Silene burchellii

Family: Caryophyllaceae

What it is like

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It has large oval tubers. The plant is covered with short hairs. The stems can be erect or lying over and it often branches low down. It grows 30-40 cm tall. The leaves vary is size and shape. They are narrow and can be oblong or sword shaped. The flowers are in simple loose, one sided groups. There are 2-7 flowers in a group and they are near the ends of the branches. The flower petals can be red, purple or white. The fruit is a capsule on stalks 5-6 mm long. The seeds are flattened and 1.3 mm long.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, East Africa

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Tubers

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Silene dinteri Engl.;