Hypoestes aristata
(Vahl) Sol. ex Roem. & Schult.
Ribbon bush
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Petro, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Petro
iNaturalist· cc-by-sa
(c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Tony Rebelo
iNaturalist· cc-by-sa
(c) Nicola van Berkel, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Nicola van Berkel
Description
A herb or shrub. The leaves are hairy and dark green. The flowers are in spikes and are tube shaped and mauve or pink. The petals curl.
This description is brief — help expand it
Edible Uses
The leaves are edible and have been used as a famine food.
Distribution
It is a tropical and subtropical plant. It is best in light shade.
Where It Grows
Africa, Burkina Faso, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, West Africa, Zambia,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seeds or cuttings.
Other Information
It is a famine food.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Hamshika, Idololenkonyane-elimhlophe
References (8)
- Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 67
- https://growwild.co.za Edible Indigenous plants
- Joffe, P., 2007, Creative Gardening with Indigenous Plants. A South African Guide. Briza. p 162
- Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
- Lulekal, E., et al, 2011, Wild edible plants in Ethiopia: a review on their potential to combat food insecurity. Afrika Focus - Vol. 24, No 2. pp 71-121
Show all 8 references Hide references
- 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
