Gymnosporia arbutifolia
(Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Loes
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Odile Weber, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Odile Weber
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Odile Weber, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Odile Weber
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Odile Weber, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Odile Weber
Summary
Source: WikipediaGymnosporia arbutifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae. It is a thorny shrub or tree native to eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It grows in the mountains of eastern Africa, from the Ethiopian Highlands to the Albertine Rift, and to the southeastern Arabian Peninsula, from 1350 to 2080 meters elevation. Two subspecies are accepted: Gymnosporia arbutifolia subsp. arbutifolia – Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Yemen. Gymnosporia arbutifolia subsp. sidamoensis (Sebsebe) Jordaan – southern Ethiopia
Description
A shrub. It grows 1-8 m tall. It has spines up to 7 cm long. The branches are flattened and angular and have reddish-brown hairs when young. The leaves are dark green above and more pale underneath. The shape varies but can be narrowly oval and 1-9 cm long by 0.4-4 cm wide. There are shallow teeth along the edge. The flower petals can be white, cream or greenish. The fruit is a greenish purple and turns red at maturity. They are 0.4-0.8 cm long by 0.4-0.6 cm wide. There are 3 valves and 3 seeds.
Edible Uses
The fruit are eaten raw, and the young leaves are boiled and eaten as a vegetable.
Traditional Uses
The fruit are eaten raw. The young leaves are boiled and eaten as a vegetable.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It can grow in savannah.
Where It Grows
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda,
Synonyms
Also Known As
Kuknit
References (3)
- Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 563 (As Maytenus arbutifolia)
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- Yimer, A., et al, 2021, Ethnobotanical study of wild edible plants used by Meinit Ethnic Community at Bench-Maji Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. Research Square. p 5 (As Maytenus arbutifolia)
