Neorautanenia mitis
(A. Rich.) Verdc.
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Judy Flatt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Judy Flatt
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Judy Flatt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A small shrubby herb. It can be erect, climbing or scrambling. The stems can be 2 m long. It has a large tuberous rootstock. It keeps growing from year to year. Annual shoots develop from the large tuber. The leaves are hairy and have lobes. The flowers are bright blue. There are a very large tuber or root stock. The seeds are black.
Edible Uses
The tuber is prepared by cutting off the top, pounding the contents, and drinking the fluid. The pods are occasionally eaten as a famine food.
Traditional Uses
The pods are poisonous and eaten occasionally as a famine food. The top is cut off the tuber and the contents pounded and the fluid drunk.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Medicinal Uses
An alcohol decoction of the tuberous root is used in the treatment of scabies and has been found to be 100% effective against mites in humans. Other ethnomedicinal uses of the root include the treatment of dysmenorrhea, employed as a cold-water decoction, neuropsychiatric disorders, and as an anticonvulsant. Studies have also shown that the methanol root extract of this plant possesses antinociceptive activity that may be both peripherally and centrally mediated. A methanol extract of the powdered root possesses central effects that are sedative in nature. The study has therefore provided scientific evidence to show central depressant effects of this plant, thereby scientifically explaining and corroborating the traditional use of this plant, as well as confirming the presence of potentially useful pharmacologically active principles.
Known Hazards
The roots contain saponins and have been used as a fish poison. Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of raw foods that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows in grassland and open woodland. It grows in sandy and loamy soils. It can grow in arid places. In Zimbabwe it grows up to 1,600 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Africa, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Chad, Congo, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Cultivation
Neorautanenia mitis is a plant of drier tropical areas of Africa, south from subsaharan regions. Requires a well-drained soil and a position in full sun. 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
Seed - Cuttings.
Other Uses
The leaves and roots are used as an insecticide. A decoction of the tuberous roots has been used for removing ticks from sheep and goats. An alcoholic extract of the roots has sometimes been efficient as a pesticide on the bean aphid, but were not reliable. The roots are not of commercial interest, but could be of value locally. Petroleum extracts of the plant have been shown to be effective in restricting the infestation of wheat grain and shelled maize by insect pests.
Production
The tuber can be 13.6 kg.
Other Information
It is a famine food.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Bombue, Djidjida, Mombue, Nakangunde, Tinde
References (12)
- Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 3. Kew.
- Dalziel, J. M., 1937, The Useful plants of west tropical Africa. Crown Agents for the Colonies London.
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 38 (Also as Neorautanenia pseudopachyrrhiza)
- Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 227
- 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 73
Show all 12 references Hide references
- Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 563
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 135
- 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 29th April 2011]
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 58
- 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 p 321
