Zornia glochidiata

C. Rchb. ex DC.

Sheep's grass

Fabaceae Edible: Leaves, Vegetable 49 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Zornia glochidiata is a leguminous herb of the Fabaceae family. It is widely distributed in the Sahel regions of West Africa, and is reputed to be an important forage plant in the region.

Description

An annual herb. It can be branching or straggling. It grows 30-70 cm high. The stems can be slightly woody at the base. There is a taproot. The leaves have 2 leaflets. The upper leaflets are 6-45 mm long by 2-14 mm wide. They are oval or sword shaped. There is a tip at the end. The flower standards are white, red or orange with red veins. The wings are yellow or pink. The fruit are pods 11-17 mm long. They have bristles.

Edible Uses

The leaves are pounded and eaten in sauces and served with rice or couscous. It is used as a minor vegetable.

Traditional Uses

The leaves are pounded and eaten in sauces and with rice or couscous.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are taken as a laxative. Cooked leaves are given to children suffering from kwashiorkor. Sap from the plant is febrifuge and is also used as eye drops against epilepsy. The root is eaten as an aphrodisiac, used in the treatment of venereal diseases, to prevent abortion and to ease childbirth.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in dry sandy locations in West Africa. In southern Africa it grows between 100-1,500 m altitude. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall above 550 mm. It can grow in arid places. It grows in the Sahel.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahel, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Zornia glochidiata is a plant of drier areas in the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,800 metres. It is common in sandy areas with a mean annual rainfall of 300 - 600mm or more during the rainy season and a dry season of up to 8 months. It is not tolerant of frost. It is an important component of Sahel and Sudano-Sahel grasslands. Around drinking places in northern Senegal it may form a continuous mat of vegetation during the rainy season. The plants wilt after the rainy season and disintegrate quickly. 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.

Other Uses

The plant contains saponins that lather in water and have been used as a soap substitute. The plant is a good soil binder, e.g. on bunds of paddy-fields.

Other Information

It is a minor vegetable.

Notes

There are about 80 Zornia species.

Synonyms

Zorna diphylla null

Also Known As

Dengere, Dengo, Molo dasi, Ndengermete, Ndenguerme, Nenguemene, Rengeema, Regueme, Sukeli

References (11)

Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 3. Kew.
Diouf, M., et al, Leafy Vegetables in Senegal. Bioversity webite
East African Herbarium records, 1981, (As Zornia diphylla)
Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 41
Gallagher, D. E., 2010, Farming beyond the escarpment: Society, Environment, and Mobility in Precolonial Southeastern Burkina Faso. PhD University of Michigan.

Show all 11 references

Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 557
Gueye, M. & Meissa, D., 2007, Traditional Leafy Vegetables in Senegal: Diversity and medicinal Uses. Afr. J. Trad. CAM (2007) 4 (4): 469 – 475
Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 111
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 141
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 1st May 2011]
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew