Eriosema cordatum
E. Mey.
Heart-leaved Eriosema
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(c) Gareth Preiss, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Gareth Preiss
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Athol Ferguson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Athol Ferguson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A herb. It has a rootstock and one stem arises from this. It can grow 40 cm high. There are 2 leaves. These have 1-3 leaflets. These are large and broad. There is a leaflet at the end. The end leaflet is 10 cm long by 7 cm wide. The flowers are at the end of the stem. There are many flowers on a long stalk. They are yellow. The fruit is a flat pod which is 1.5 cm across.
Edible Uses
The tubers are eaten raw.
Traditional Uses
The tubers are eaten raw.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Medicinal Uses
The plant is used to restore male fertility. Should the male organs fail altogether to produce seminal fluid, a hot milk infusion of the roots of this species, combined with Eriosema salignum, drunk at bedtime, will result in an early emission.
Distribution
It is rare in Swaziland. It can grow in arid places. It grows in the Kalahari.
Where It Grows
Africa, Botswana, East Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe,
Cultivation
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.
Propagation
Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have ripened and dried the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.
Also Known As
Umonoankunzi
References (9)
- Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 133
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 28th April 2011]
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 57
- Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
Show all 9 references Hide references
- Tanaka, 1980,
- van Wyk, Ben-Erik, 2019, The diversity and multiple uses of southern African legumes. Australian Systematic Botany, 2019, 32, 519–546
- 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
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
