Cissus aralioides
(Welw. ex Bak.) Planch.
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iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Luke Smith, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A large creeper. It can be 25 m long. It is woody at the base. It climbs to the top of the forest canopy. The stems are green and succulent. The leaf stalks are slender and fleshy. They are 9-12 cm long. The leaves are compound with 5 leaflets. The leaflets are oblong and 5-8 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. There are small teeth along the edge and a point at the tip. The flowers are in compound groups. There can be 10-12 flowers in a group. The flowers are greenish white. The fruit is a round berry 2.5 cm across. It is bluish-purple and has one seed.
Edible Uses
The seeds are cooked and eaten. The fruit is also edible.
Traditional Uses
The seeds are cooked and eaten.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows in deciduous forest and on the edge of the jungle.
Where It Grows
Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, East Africa, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, West Africa, Zambia,
Cultivation
Grows best with its roots in dappled to quite deep shade and its stems climbing up into the light[. Prefers a rich soil.
Propagation
Seed - Cuttings
Notes
There are about 200-350 Cissus species. There are about 75 species in tropical America.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Asirimu, Blabe, Eke agwo, Ensule, Ogoga
References (13)
- Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 46
- Bongers, F. et al (Eds), Forest Climbing Plants of West Africa: Diversity, Ecology and Management. CABI
- Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 5. Kew.
- Busson, 1965,
- Dalziel, J. M., 1937, The Useful plants of west tropical Africa. Crown Agents for the Colonies London.
Show all 13 references Hide references
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 85
- Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 127
- JSTOR Global Plants edible (As Vitis aralioides)
- Latham, P., 2004, Useful Plants of Bas-Congo province. Salvation Army & DFID p 77
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 200
- Raponda-Walker, A & Sillans, R., 1961, Les Plantes Utiles du Gabon. Editions Paul Lechevalier, Paris. p 53
- Vivien, J., & Faure, J.J., 1996, Fruitiers Sauvages d'Afrique. Especes du Cameroun. CTA p 365
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
