Common Name:

General Information

Dolichos trilobus is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant producing stems up to 3 metres long from a woody rootstock. The stems scramble over the ground or twine around other plants for support[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Somalia, south to S. Africa; through Arabia to Indian subcontinent, southern China, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines

Habitat

Grassland, bushland and forest, sometimes in rocky places in evergreen forest, at elevations from sea level to 1,200 metres[]. In grassland, open woodland and at forest fringes, on stony and sandy soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

Seeds - cooked[, ]. They can be cooked while fresh or after being dried in the sun[]. They are eaten with ugali or rice. Coconut milk or pounded groundnuts can be added while cooking in order to make the dish more palatable[]. The dried seeds can be stored for several months[].

Medicinal

The tubers are pounded and used as medicine to treat chickenpox.[]

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is sometimes grown as a green manure[, ].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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