Gaertnera paniculata
Benth.
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Carel Jongkind, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Carel Jongkind
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Carel Jongkind, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Carel Jongkind
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Carel Jongkind, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Carel Jongkind
Description
A straggling shrub or small tree. It grows 8-18 m high. It has branches low down. The stems are slightly hairy when young. The leaves are 8-18 cm long by 3-8 cm wide. They are narrowly oval and taper to the tip. They are thinly leathery. The flowers are greenish white. They are in large loose groups 7-30 cm long. They have a sweet scent. The fruit is juicy and purple or blue coloured. They are 9 mm long by 6 mm wide.
Edible Uses
The young tender shoots and roots are eaten.
Traditional Uses
The young tender shoots and roots are eaten.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Medicinal Uses
Roots and leaves are used as a vegetable.
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows in moist deciduous forests in West Africa. It grows between 1,200-1,450 m altitude.
Where It Grows
Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo DR, East Africa, Gabon, Guinea, Guinée, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, West Africa, Zambia,
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seed. Seed need to be sown while fresh.
Notes
There are about 30-70 Gaertnera species.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Gboli-wulo, Kimbodia, Kimbodi, Kurumbe, Ng obai
References (8)
- Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4. Kew.
- Chapman, J. D. & Chapman, H. M., 2001, The Forest Flora of Taraba and Andamawa States, Nigeria. WWF & University of Canterbury. p 197
- Flora Zambesiaca. http://apps.kew.org/efloras
- Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 562
- Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 79
Show all 8 references Hide references
- Latham, P., 2004, Useful Plants of Bas-Congo province. Salvation Army & DFID p 133
- Schatz, G.E., 2001, Generic Tree Flora of Madagascar. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden. p 330 (Genus)
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
