Asclepias fallax
(Schltr.) Schltr.
Milk weed
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) juddkirkel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc0
no rights reserved, uploaded by Andrew Deacon
iNaturalist· cc0
no rights reserved, uploaded by Andrew Deacon
Description
A herb. It grows 40 cm tall. It keeps growing from year to year. The stems are erect and hairy. They have milky sap. The leaves are simple and opposite. They are broadly sword shaped and hairy on both surfaces. The flowers are in a single cluster at the top of the plant. There are 12-15 flowers in a cluster with equal length stalks from one point. The flowers are small and 5 mm long. They are white tinged with purple. The fruit is a single long follicle tapering to the tip. There are 6 or more spine like processes. The seeds are oblong and brown.
Edible Uses
The leaves are cooked thoroughly before eating and can be used as a bitter relish.
Traditional Uses
The leaves need to be well cooked. The leaves are cooked and eaten. They can be bitter and are used as a relish.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a subtropical plant.
Where It Grows
Africa, Eswatini, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland,
Notes
Also put in the family Asclepidaceae.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Umdayi, Umdoyi, Umdzayi, Xihaja
References (5)
- Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 104
- Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
- Plowes, N. J. & Taylor, F. W., 1997, The Processing of Indigenous Fruits and other Wildfoods of Southern Africa. in Smartt, L. & Haq. (Eds) Domestication, Production and Utilization of New Crops. ICUC p 185
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 20
- 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
