Gouania longispicata
Engl.
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Description
A shrub that lies along the ground or a liane. It can climb 20 m high. It has coiled tendrils. It scrambles over other vegetation. The leaves are oval. The veins are easy to see. There are fine teeth along the edge. There are many flowers along a stalk. The flowers are creamy-white. The fruit are fleshy and 6 mm long by 11 mm wide. They have 3 wings.
Edible Uses
The leaves are edible.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edges of forests. In Zimbabwe it grows between 700-1,650 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Africa, Burundi, Central Africa, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zimbabwe,
Notes
There are about 20 Gouania species. It is used in medicine.
Synonyms
References (4)
- Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4. Kew.
- von Katja Rembold, 2011, Conservation status of the vascular plants in East African rain forests. Dissertation Universitat Koblenz-Landau p 168
- White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. and Chapman, J. D., 2001, Evergreen Forest Flora of Malawi. Kew. p 443
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
