Brachystelma gymnopodum
(Schltr.) Bruyns
gbif· cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
gbif· cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
gbif· cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Description
A herb. It forms a bulb or tuber. It is succulent and keeps growing from year to year. It grows 15 cm high. The leaves are 3-10 cm long and have short stalks. The flowers occur as 1-3 on short stalks at the nods. They are dark brownish-purple. The root tubers are 8 cm across.
Edible Uses
Root - raw or cooked. A potato-like taste. The skin is bitter and is usually removed before the tuber is eaten. The tuber can be 4 - 10cm in diameter.
Traditional Uses
The tubers are roasted and eaten.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a tropical and subtropical plant. In Southern Africa it grows between 500-1,600 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.
Where It Grows
Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Zimbabwe,
Cultivation
A plant of semi-arid areas in the tropics and subtropics, where it can be found at elevations from 500 - 1,600 metres. Requires a sunny position. Prefers a moist but well-drained soil.
Notes
Also put in the family Asclepiadaceae.
Synonyms
References (3)
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 28th March 2011]
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 22
- 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
