Strophanthus mirabilis

Gilg.

Apocynaceae Edible: Roots, Vegetable, Caution Potential hazards — see below 3 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A shrub. It grows 1-3 m tall. There are many branches and it can also be a creeper. It loses its leaves during the year. The flowers appear with the leaves. The leaves are opposite and narrowly oval. They are 1-4 cm long by 0.3-1.4 cm wide. The base is wedge shaped. The flowers can be spreading. They are yellow to pink. The fruit is brown to dark purple.

Edible Uses

Roots - cooked. Most, if not all, members of this genus are poisonous, so this root should only be eaten with extreme caution.

Known Hazards

The roots are eaten as a vegetable but are noted as a caution item.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant.

Where It Grows

Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Somalia,

Also Known As

Geed-meged

References (3)

Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 565
JSTOR Global Plants edible
Mutie, F. M., et al, 2023, Important Medicinal and Food Taxa (Orders and Families) in Kenya, Based on Three Quantitative Approaches. Plants 2023, 12, 1145