Pygmaeothamnus chamaedendrum
(Kuntze) Robyns
Pygmy medlar
Rubiaceae Edible: Fruit, Leaves
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Richard Gill, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Richard Gill, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Kate Braun, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A shrub. It has a stout underground rootstock and it grows from this each year. It grows up to 25 cm high. The stems are woody. The leaves are opposite and are mainly at the tips of the shoots. They are sword shaped or oval and narrow to the base. The flowers are below the leaves. The fruit is fleshy and has 1 or 2 seeds.
Edible Uses
Both the fruit and leaves are edible.
Distribution
It is a subtropical plant.
Where It Grows
Africa, Eswatini, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland,
Also Known As
Umgulutane, Umkhuma
References (7)
- Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
- Ogle & Grivetti, 1985,
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 174
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 97
- Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
Show all 7 references Hide references
- Vinnicombe, 1976,
- 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
