Periploca linearifolia

Dillon & A. Rich.

Apocynaceae Edible: Root - tea, Medicine Potential hazards — see below 13 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A vine. It grows 8 m tall. The stems are thin and wiry. The leaves are smooth and narrow. All parts have milky latex. The flowers are white with purple sepals. They are in groups at the ends of branches. The fruit is a pod 10 cm long.

Edible Uses

The root is used to make tea.

Medicinal Uses

The root has medicinal uses.

Known Hazards

All parts contain milky latex.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows at the edge of forests. It forms tangled clumps. In Malawi it grows between 1,400-2,150 m altitude.

Where It Grows

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia,

Notes

Also put in the family Asclepiadaceae.

Also Known As

Osinantei, Umwaahuro

References (5)

Glover, et al, 1966b,
Grivetti, L. E., 1980, Agricultural development: present and potential role of edible wild plants. Part 2: Sub-Saharan Africa, Report to the Department of State Agency for International Development. p 44
Mbuvi, M. T. E., et al, 2019, Annonated checklist of plant species of Loita Forest Narok County, Kenya. Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2019). 6(3): 54-110
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 66
White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. and Chapman, J. D., 2001, Evergreen Forest Flora of Malawi. Kew. p 163