Common Name:

General Information

Cleome monophylla is an erect or spreading, annual plant growing up to 1 metre tall[].
Although considered to be slightly toxic and to have an unpleasant smell and taste, the leaves are commonly harvested from the wild in Africa for local consumption[, ]. The plant is also commonly used as a medicine.

Known Hazards

The leaves are reported to be slightly toxic, though are still commonly used for food[, ].

Botanical References

Range

Throughout tropical Africa - Mauritania to Somalia and south to S. Africa, avoiding the wetter regions of the Continent; Arabian Peninsula to India.

Habitat

A weed of fields and waste places[]. Common in moist Hyparrhenia grasslands, deciduous woodland, bushlands, lake shores, and as a weed of cultivation and on disturbed ground, usually at low to medium elevations of 30 - 2,100 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of drier areas in the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 2,100 metres. In Tanzania it grows in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 700 - 1,200mm[].
Prefers a light fertile soil in a warm dry sunny position with plenty of room to spread[, ]. Tolerant of a wide range of soils., though it prefers red sandy loams and yellowish sandy sediments[].

Edible Uses

Leaves, young shoots and young flowering stems - cooked and used like spinach[, , , ]. The leaves can be chopped and cooked on their own, or together with beans and peas[]. They are sometimes made into a relish[]. As they are slightly toxic, it is advisable to eat the leaves a day after cooking to allow for the slightly toxic enzymes to break down[, ]. The plant has an unpleasant smell and acrid taste[]. A fairly popular vegetable in southern Africa, but mainly used when better vegetables are not available[].

The pungent seed is used as a mustard substitute[, ].

The fruit is sometimes eaten[].

Medicinal

The seeds and leaves of the violet-flowered form of this plant are used, with or without those of Gynandropsis pentaphylla, to make the Ayurvedic drug called 'hurhur' in India. This drug is used on ulcers, boils and wounds and is said to prevent the formation of pus[].

The roots are chewed in the morning and evening as a treatment for cough[].
The pounded root is put on the lips to restore consciousness when in a faint[].

The finely ground leaf is used for removing irritating particles from the eye[, ]. Crushed leaves are rubbed on the head as a treatment for headache[]. The pounded leaves, dried and ground are put on sores[]. The pounded leaves, tied on to swellings caused by plague, hasten maturation[].

The whole plant is used externally as a treatment for swellings[].

The sap, expressed and added to water, is a common treatment of ear discharges[].
The leaf-sap is used as a sudorific in the treatment of fevers[].

The seeds are anthelmintic, rubefacient and vesicant[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is known to be a host of the tobacco aphid[].

Other Uses

The seed has been used as a source of oil[].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow or only lightly cover the seed. It usually germinates in 5 - 14 days at 25°c[]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them when large enough. Day time temperatures below 20°c depress germination but a night time fall to 20° is necessary[].

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: subtract 1 from 12