Common Name:

General Information

Baccharoides hymenolepis is a perennial plant with stems that become more or less woody, when it can become more shrub or tree-like; it usually grows up to 4 metres tall, but exceptionally can reach 12 metres. The stems are unbranched at the base, branching from higher up[, ].
The plant is a popular vegetable, often harvested from the wild in eastern Africa. It is cultivated as a food plant in home gardens and mixed crop farms, especially in Nigeria and Cameroon. The leaves are sold in local markets and also transported to the cities. The plant is also grown as a hedge, serving the purpose of providing food, being very ornamental and also helping to stabilize the soil, especially on slopes[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Sudan, Ethiopia, eastern DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe.

Habitat

Along rivers and roadsides, in forest margins, old cultivation sites and bushed grassland, also in montane forest and often found in disturbed habitats; usually at elevations from 1,200 - 3,000 metres, sometimes descending to 600 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Insects, Wind
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Baccharoides hymenolepis is a plant of moderate elevations in the tropics where it can be grown up to 3,000 metres. The plants thrive at temperatures of less than 30°c. The minimum mean annual rainfall required is 840mm[].
Generally, the plants grow well in a loose, moist soil that is rich in humus. The degree of soil fertility greatly influences leaf size[]. The plant is very sensitive to drought[].
Seedlings are tasted when they are being planted out and the more bitter seedlings are discarded. This selection process not only secures a better quality crop, but also serves to reduce bitterness in the next generations[].
Early growth of young plants during the rainy season is so rapid that they grow as tall as 40 - 50cm in just 4 weeks. This rapid growth continues as long as there is ample moisture in the soil[].
Harvesting the leaves starts 4 - 6 weeks after sowing or 6 - 8 weeks after transplanting. Harvesting is done either by cutting the young shoots or gathering the leaves only. Although the harvest of leaves only is often preferred, this system may adversely affect the development of the plant[].
Best results are obtained during the rainy season by cutting the shoots at 5 - 10cm above the soil, which will then be replaced by one or two side shoots. These side shoots could be harvested 3 - 4 weeks later and, depending on soil moisture and fertility, this process could be repeated two or three times[].
In the dry season, when new shoots develop only slowly if at all, farmers pick the leaves only[].
Highest yields are obtained during the rainy season. An initial harvest of stems yields about 1 kilo per square metre, this decreases to about 500 grammes on the third harvest[].
Flower initiation begins with the onset of the dry season or during periods of drought[]..

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked. Eaten in salads, as a potherb or used as a garnish[]. The leaves can be dried for later use[]. The leaves are less bitter than related species that are used in the same ways, such as bitterleaf (Gymnanthemum amygdalinum)[].

Medicinal

The plant is used medicinally as a cure for pneumonia[].

Juice from the crushed leaves is used to treat jaundice, and also diarrhoea in babies[].
A hot leaf placed on a wound is said to stop bleeding[].

A root decoction is used as a purgative and to treat abdominal pains[].

The sesquiterpene lactone vernolepin was isolated from plant material collected in Ethiopia. This compound showed antitumour activity and platelet anti-aggregating properties[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is sometimes planted as a hedge around homes and gardens, both for vegetable use and for the ornamental value of the large white or purple flowering heads[].
The plants help to stabilize the soil, especially on slopes[].

Other Uses

Dry branches and stems serve as fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - it can be sown in situ, but is more commonly sown by broadcasting, or by sowing in lines, on raised nursery beds - these are shaded to prevent excessive evaporation. Germination commences within 5 days. When the seedlings are 2 - 3 weeks old, with 4 - 6 leaves, they are pruned by nipping the growing point and are then transplanted with a ball of soil to their permanent positions[].
Cuttings. Stems with 4 buds, taken from mature plants, are used; they are planted slanting. Rooting of the cuttings is not always successful and plant growth is much slower than in seedlings, so that this method is only used in home gardens when a particular plant type is appreciated[].

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