Asclepias affinis
(Schltr.) Schltr.
Cartwheels
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USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab from Beltsville, Maryland, USA (via Wikimedia Commons)
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USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab from Beltsville, Maryland, USA (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Trisha Leaf (via Wikimedia Commons)
Description
A herb. It grows 50 cm tall. It is stout and erect but can lean over. It is unbranched. The leaves have short stalks. The leaves are 7 cm long by 4 cm wide and broadest just above the base. They taper to a blunt tip. The flowers are at the top. There can be 25 flowers in a dense group that are turned sideways. They can be pink, purple or greenish yellow.
Edible Uses
The young leaves are cooked and eaten as a spinach.
Traditional Uses
The young leaves are cooked and eaten as a spinach.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
A tropical plant.
Where It Grows
Africa, Eswatini, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seed or cuttings.
Notes
There are 100 Asclepias species.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Tshalale
References (6)
- Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 103
- Ogle & Grivetti, 1985,
- Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 177
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 61
- Plowes, N. J. & Taylor, F. W., 1997, The Processing of Indigenous Fruits and other Wildfoods of Southern Africa. in Smartt, L. & Haq. (Eds) Domestication, Production and Utilization of New Crops. ICUC p 185
Show all 6 references Hide references
- Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora (As Asclepias albens)
