Volkameria glabra

(E. Mey.) Mabb. & Y. W. Yuan;

Lamiaceae Edible: Fruit 1,584 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A shrub or small tree. It can be 10 m tall. It is much branched. The flowers have a scent. The fruit are 6-10 mm across. They are yellowish-white.

Edible Uses

The fruit is edible. It is 6 - 10mm in diameter, marbled-white when ripe but turning black if it is dried.

Traditional Uses

The fruit is eaten raw.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are febrifuge, sedative, stomachic and vermifuge. A decoction of the leaves is used as a treatment for fevers. The leaves are also used to treat pulmonary troubles, stomach troubles, paralysis, epilepsy, spasms, convulsions. The leaves are used to make wound dressings. The root is used as an antidote to venomous stings, bites etc. It is also used in the treatmant of arthritis, rheumatism, etc. The bark is purgative.

Distribution

It is a tropical and subtropical plant. It needs a fertile, well-drained soil and a sunny position.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Botswana, East Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from fresh seeds. They germinate in 20-60 days at 20°C.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as possible. Germination can be erratic but usually takes place within 20 - 60 days at 20°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until large enough to plant out Softwood cuttings Cuttings of half-ripe wood Root cuttings Division of suckers

Other Uses

The plant is used as a hedge in Sierra Leone.

Production

A fruit weighs about 0.6 g.

Nutrition

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Fruit	81.3	—	—	—	8.4	—	—	—

Synonyms

Clerodendrum glabrum E. Mey.Clerodendrum glabrum var. vagum (Hiern) MoldenkeSiphonanthus glaber (E. Mey.) HiernSiphonanthus glaber var. incarnatus HiernSiphonanthus glaber var. vaga Hiern

References (6)

Fern, K., 2012, Tropical Species Database http://theferns.info/tropical/
Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 364 (As Clerodendrum glabrum)
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 72
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
Wilson, A. L. & Downs, C. T., 2012, Fruit nutritional composition and non-nutritive traits of indigenous South African tree species. South African Journal of Botany. 78:30-36 (As Clerodendrum glabrum)

Show all 6 references