Embelia schimperi

Vatke

Primulaceae Edible: Leaves, Fruit, Vegetable 10 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Embelia schimperi is a shrubby climber or small tree within the family Primulaceae.

Description

A small tree. It can be a shrubby climber. It grows 7 m tall. The bark is smooth and red-brown. The twigs have raised dots. The leaves are arranged in spirals and crowded at the ends of branches. The leaves vary a lot in shape. The leaves are oval and 8 cm long by 4 cm wide. There are 15 or more side veins. The flowers are small and green-white. There are many fruit on stalks. They are 6 cm across. They are red when ripe. There is one seed inside.

Edible Uses

Among the Maasai people, dry fruit and root extracts of the species is used as an antihelmintic, specifically against the tapeworm, Taenia saginata.

Traditional Uses

The leaves are eaten raw in small amounts as a snack. They taste salty. The ripe fruit are eaten raw.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are pounded and the powder is rubbed into swollen breasts of lactating mothers to treat mastitis. Alternatively, the powder is soaked in water and the infusion is drunk to treat difficult labour in women or for tapeworm. The fruits and roots are boiled and the decoction drunk to treat intestinal worms.

Distribution

A tropical plant. In Ethiopia is grows as an under-storey tree and grows between 1,700-2,600 m altitude. It grows along the edges of forests, on river banks and on termite mounds. In Tanzania it grows between 1,000-3,200 m above sea level. It grows in areas with a rainfall between 800-2,000 mm.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinée, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed.

Production

The leaves are collected during the early rains.

Other Information

It is a famine food.

Notes

There are about 140 Embelia species. Also put in the family Myrsinaceae.

Synonyms

Embelia abyssinica BakerEmbelia bambuseti Gilg & Schellenb.Embelia batesii S. MooreEmbelia dasyantha Gilg & Schellenb.Embelia gilgii MezEmbelia guineensis BakerEnbelia kilimandscharica GilgEmbelia mujenja GilgEmbelia nyassana Gilg.Embelia pellucida (Hiern) K. Schum.Embelia retusa GilgEmbelia tessmannii Gilg & Shellenb.Embelia tibatiensis Gilg & Schellenb.Pattara pellucida Hiern

Also Known As

Enkoko, Hanku, Hanqu, Inqoko, Inqoqo, Isasya-mubili, Kanko, Kemjach, Mzula, Nakonda, Qaanqo, Umukaragata

References (26)

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Asfaw, Z., Conservation and use of traditional vegetables in Ethiopia. FAO
Asfaw, Z. and Tadesse, M., 2001, Prospects for Sustainable Use and Development of Wild Food Plants in Ethiopia. Economic Botany, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 47-62
Balemie, K., & Kebebew, F., 2006, Ethnobotanical study of wild edible plants in Derashe and Kucha Districts, South Ethiopia. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine.
Bekele-Tesemma A., Birnie, A., & Tengnas, B., 1993, Useful Trees and Shrubs for Ethiopia. Regional Soil Conservation Unit. Technical Handbook No 5. p 208

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