Zambezi false-nettle
Acalypha ornata

Family: Euphorbiaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

There are over 450 Acalypha species. They are tropical. There are 225 in tropical America. It is used in medicine.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It is mostly in thickets and along the edges of rivers. It is at low and medium altitudes. It Malawi it can be between 100-1,300 m altitudes. In Ethiopia it grows between 600-700 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The young leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They are chopped and cooked. They are also pounded with other vegetables. The plant is dried, burned and the ash filtered and evaporated and used for salt.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable, plant - salt

How it is grown

It can be grown from seeds or by cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Atinotur, Atiyhomerpap, Chigaga, Kirijaj, Mfulwe, Mukunyukunyu, Nhaucusse, Sinamananelo

Synonyms

Acalypha grantii Baker & Hutch.; Acalypha moggii Compton; Acalypha nigritiana Mull. Arg.; Acalypha ornata var. bracteosa Mull. Arg.; Acalypha ornata var. glandulosa Mull. Arg.; Acalypha ornata var. pilosa Mull. Arg.; Acalypha swynnertonii S. Moore;