Keetia gueinzii
(Sond.) Bridson
Climbing turkey-berry
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(c) Kate Braun, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kate Braun
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Kate Braun, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kate Braun
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Troos van der Merwe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Troos van der Merwe
Summary
Source: WikipediaKeetia gueinzii is an evergreen scandent shrub in the family Rubiaceae. The species epitheton is named after Wilhelm Gueinzius, a German naturalist who collected plants in South Africa. It became the type species of Keetia after the original type species, Keetia transvaalensis, was made a synonym. This species is found down the southern African east coast in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. Young branches are covered with rust-coloured hairs. Leaves measure 5.5–13.5 × 3.5–6 cm, more or less lanceolate to ovate, acuminate apex, rounded to cordate at the base, often bullate, and glabrous to pubescent beneath. Acarodomatia present in the axils of the veins. Petioles are covered with crisped or patent hairs. Fruit 7–9 × 11–14 mm, somewhat oblong in profile, glabrous, black when ripe. It grows in the altitude range of 800–2200 m.
Description
A shrub which is often a scrambler or small tree. It can reach 10 m in height. The bark is dark and almost black. The branches are long and trailing. There are several pairs of wide spreading leaves. The leaves are oblong with a square or heart shaped base. The leaves are oval and 11 cm long by 5 cm wide. They are dark green. There are hairs along the veins especially underneath. The base is lobed. The leaf stalk is 5 mm long. The flowers are in loose clusters. These are in the axils of leaves with branching stalks. The flowers are white and cone shaped. The flowers are cream and have a sweet smell. They occur in heads in the axils of leaves. The fruit can be single or have 2 lobes. They are 1 cm long by 1.4 cm wide. They occur in dense clusters. They are dark when mature. The fruit are edible.
Edible Uses
The edible fruit are eaten as a snack.
Traditional Uses
The fruit are eaten as a snack.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edges of forests and in most types of woodland. It grows between 800-2,200 m altitude.
Where It Grows
Africa, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Synonyms
Also Known As
Achokra, Anyuka, Cheplekwelet, Cheblekwil, Climbing canthium, Gcupe, Jilekwelet, Lekweliet, Lusesbi, Lukonsongabu, Mokilokwa, Mti-ndapo, Mudanhanashoko, Mugokoma, Mugugu, Mugunguma, Munyunzu, Rangwekuot, Sinwati, Ugcupe
References (21)
- Dale, I. R. and Greenway, P. J., 1961, Kenya Trees and Shrubs. Nairobi. p 428 (As Canthium gueinzii)
- East African Herbarium records, 1981,
- Eilu, G. & Bukenya-Ziraba, R., 2004, Local Use of Climbing Plants of Budongo Forest Reserve, Western Uganda. Journal of Ethnobiology 24(2): 307-327
- Flora Zambesiaca. http://apps.kew.org/efloras
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 56
Show all 21 references Hide references
- Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 328 (As Canthium gueinzii)
- Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 124 (As Canthium gueinzii)
- Johns, T., and Kokwaro, J.O., 1991, Food Plants of the Luo of Siayo District, Kenya. Economic Botany 45(1), pp 103-113 (As Canthium gueinzii)
- Kenya Trees, Shrubs, Lianas, 1994, nzdl.org
- Kokwaro, J. O. and Johns. T., Luo Biological Dictionary. p 6
- Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
- Maundu, P. et al, 1999, Traditional Food Plants of Kenya. National Museum of Kenya. 288p
- Mutie, F. M., et al, 2023, Important Medicinal and Food Taxa (Orders and Families) in Kenya, Based on Three Quantitative Approaches. Plants 2023, 12, 1145
- Palgrave, K.C., 1996, Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. p 881 (As Canthium gueinzii)
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 170
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 96
- Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
- 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
- White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. and Chapman, J. D., 2001, Evergreen Forest Flora of Malawi. Kew. p 457 (As Canthium gueinzii)
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- www.zimbabweflora.co.zw 2011
