Dipcadi longifolium

(Lindl.) Baker

Asparagaceae Edible: Leaves, Bulb 22 iNaturalist observations

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iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

Description

A bulb herb. The leaves are twisted. It grows 20-90 cm high. The bulb is 1-4 cm across. There are 2-7 leaves. They are narrow and 75 cm long by 3-9 mm wide. The flowering stalks are 60 cm high. There are 4-15 flowers They are yellowish green. The fruit is a capsule 8-15 mm long by 13018 mm wide. The seeds are 5-7 mm long.

Edible Uses

The bulbs and leaves are eaten raw after pounding.

Traditional Uses

The bulbs and leaves are eaten raw after pounding.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

It is a tropical and subtropical plant. It grows in the savannah. In East Africa it grows between 1,000-1,350 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, East Africa, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania, West Africa, Zimbabwe,

Other Information

A staple food of the Bushmen.

Notes

They have also been put in the families Hyacinthaceae and Liliaceae.

Nutrition

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Leaves	70.9	457	109	2.3	—	8.3	0.9	0.5

Synonyms

Dipcadi anthericoides Engl. & Gilg.Dipcadi firmifolium BakerDipcadi kerstingii DammerDipcadi tacazzaenum - in Morton, not (Hochst) ex A. Rich. Bak.Dipcadi sansibaricum Engl.Dipcadi venenatum SchinzDipcadi zambesiacum BakerOrnithogalum longifolium (Lindl.) J. C. Manning & GoldblattUropetalum longifolium Lindl.

Also Known As

Enequeneque

References (9)

FAO, 1988, Traditional Food Plants, FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 42. FAO Rome p 250
Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 250
Heinz & Maguire, 1974,
Lee, 1979,
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 30

Show all 9 references

Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 65
Story, 1958,
Wehmeyer, A. S, 1986, Edible Wild Plants of Southern Africa. Data on the Nutrient Contents of over 300 species
Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179