Adenia hastata

(Harvey) Schinz

Snake climber

Passifloraceae Edible: Fruit Potential hazards — see below 38 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A succulent plant with a swollen base. It is a climber or scrambler. The leaf stalks are 5 cm long. The leaf blade is triangle shaped. It is 7 cm long and wide. The edges are slightly wavy. The flowering shoots are in the axils of leaves. There are several narrow flowers/ They are up to 2 cm long. They are in branched clusters and are cream coloured.

Edible Uses

The fruit are eaten as a snack.

Traditional Uses

CAUTION: Most Adenia are poisonous. The fruit are eaten as a snack.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Known Hazards

Most Adenia species are poisonous; caution is advised.

Distribution

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in dry soils. It can grow in arid places.

Where It Grows

Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland,

Notes

There are 95 Adenia species. They are common in the semiarid regions of Africa.

Synonyms

Modecca hastata HarveyAdenia schlechteri Harms

References (8)

Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 288
Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 118
Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
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 5th May 2011]
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 85

Show all 8 references

Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
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
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew