Secamone punctulata
Decne
gbif· cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
gbif· cc-by
Meise Botanic Garden
gbif· cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Description
A climber or small shrub. It can climb into trees. The leaves have short stalks. The leaves are 1.3-5 cm long by 0.1-2 cm wide. The base is rounded. There are several flowering shoots 5-20 mm long by 2-25 mm wide. They are orange to yellow and have a sweet scent. The fruit are follicles 4.5-5.5 cm long by 0.3-0.5 cm wide.
Edible Uses
The root is prepared as tea.
Medicinal Uses
It is used as medicine.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows in dense forest. In Somalia it has been recorded at 1,500 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania,
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seeds.
Other Uses
The flexible stems are used as rope. All parts of the plant contain latex. No uses are mentioned.
Notes
There are about 80 Secamone species. They are in Africa with most in Madagascar. Also put in the family Asclepiadaceae. It is used as medicine.
Also Known As
Osimantel
References (4)
- East African Herbarium records, 1981,
- Ferns, Tropical plants.
- Kuhnlein, H. V., et al, 2009, Indigenous Peoples' food systems. FAO Rome p 239
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 66
