There has been considerable disagreement about the correct spelling for this generic name. It was originally written as Ancylobothrys by Pierre in the Bull. Soc. Linn. Paris ser. 2: 91. 1898. This was considered to be a mis-spelling by many botanists and Huber, in Fl. W. Trop. Afr. 2nd ed. 2. 1963, corrected it to Ancylobotrys. This name remained in common usage for around 50 years but several recent publications have reverted to the original spelling. We also are following the original spelling since it has now been accepted in the Kew 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families[].

Common Name:

General Information

Ancylobothrys scandens is an evergreen climbing shrub producing stems 12 metres or more long that can climb into the surrounding vegetation or scramble over the ground, rooting as they go. The branches can attach themselves by means of terminal tendrils. The mature stem can be 2- 5cm in diameter[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Liberia to Cameroon and Central African Republic, south to Angola, DR Congo and Burundi

Habitat

Forest and gallery forest at elevations from sea level to 1,400 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Climber
Height	12.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Flowering and fruiting are probably usually scattered over the year[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. A somewhat apricot-like flavour[]. The fruit is a yellow, orange, or red, subglobose berry 2 - 5cm in diameter, containing 2 - 10 relatively large seeds[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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