Asystasia mysorensis

(Roth) T. Anderson

Mysore asystasia

Acanthaceae Edible: Leaves, Vegetable 139 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

iNaturalist· cc-by

Summary

Asystasia mysorensis is an edible plant species in the family Acanthaceae found in Africa. It is used as a leafy vegetable, used by the Kikuyu community for food including the delicious 'mukimo'. The local name is 'muhika na ihuu'

Description

An erect herb. It grows from seeds each year. It grows from 35-70 cm tall. The leaves are opposite. They are narrowly oval and slightly hairy. They are 10 cm long. The flowers are white with green markings. They have long hairy bracts around them. The fruit is a yellow-brown capsule. It narrows at the base.

Edible Uses

The leaves are eaten as a vegetable and sold in local markets in East Africa as a minor vegetable of local importance.

Traditional Uses

Africa, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in damp locations. In East Africa it grows between 500-1,900 m altitude. In Tanzania it grows in areas with an annual rainfall of 1,000-2,100 mm.

Where It Grows

Forest edges and thickets and in secondary regrowth after cultivation or other disturbance of the soil. Often a weed in arable land or along paths. Found at elevations up to 2,200 metres.

Cultivation

A minor vegetable of local importance. It is sold in local markets.

Synonyms

Asystasia schimperi T. AndersonAsystasia rostrata (Hochst. ex Nees) Solms

Also Known As

Acwewanggweno, Atipa, Ecototo, Ikonito, Mkekomba, Nyante, Tikini

References (16)

Abukutsa-Onyango, Mary, 2007, The diversity of cultivated African leafy vegetables in three communities in western Kenya. AJFAND, Volume 7, No. 3
Acipa, A. et al, 2013, Nutritional Profile of some Selected Food Plants of Otwal and Ngai Counties, Oyam District, Northern Uganda. African Journal or Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development. 13(2)
Agea, J. G., et al 2011, Wild and Semi-wild Food Plants of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom of Uganda: etc. Environmental Research Journal 5(2) 74-86
Godfrey, J. et al, 2013, Harvesting, preparationand preservation of commonly consumed wild and semi-wild food plants in Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom, Uganda. Int. J. Med. Arom. Plants. Vol.3 No.2 pp 262-282
Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 102

Show all 16 references

Maundu, P. et al, 1999, Traditional Food Plants of Kenya. National Museum of Kenya. p 67
Msuya, T. S., et al, 2010, Availability, Preference and Consumption of Indigenous Foods in the Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania, Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 49:3, 208-227
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
Ngugi, G., 2000, Case Study from Kenya on Indigenous Wild Vegetables. Paper 4 Workshop in Kenya 1999. p 30
Ojelel, S. & Kakudidi E. K., 2015, Wild edible plant species utilized by a subsistence farming community in the Obalanga sub-county, Amuria district, Uganda. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 11:7
Ojelel, S., et al, 2019, Wild edible plants used by communities in and around selected forest reserves of Teso-Karamoja region, Uganda. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2019) 15:3
Pickering, H., & Roe, E., 2009, Wild Flowers of the Victoria Falls Area. Helen Pickering, London. p 12
Ruffo, C. K., Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B., 2002, Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania. RELMA p 148
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 5
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