Gomphocarpus glaucophyllus
Schlechter
Blue leaf, Bladder bush
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Robert Archer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Robert Archer
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) tjeerd, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) tjeerd, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
An unbranched herb. It grows 1 m tall. The stems are thick and have a few hairs. There is milky sap. The leaves are simple and do not have stalks. They are oval and heart shaped at the base. They are blue-green. The flowers are in a group with equal length stalks form one point. They are cream-coloured and 4 cm long with 7-15 flowers in the group The fruit is a follicle tapering to a point.
Edible Uses
The young leaves are cooked and eaten.
Traditional Uses
The young leaves are cooked and eaten.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a tropical plant.
Where It Grows
Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Notes
Also put in the family Asclepiadaceae.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Bloumelkbos, Gunaperi, Gunatela, Gwendere, Melkbos, Umbohlobohlo
References (4)
- Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 105 (As Asclepias glaucophylla)
- Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 24
- 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
