Opilia amentacea
Roxb.
Opiliaceae
Groutia celtidifolia Guill. & Perr.
Opilia angiensis De Wild.
Opilia celtidifolia (Guill. & Perr.) Endl. ex Walp.
Opilia javanica Miq.
Opilia parviflora Peter
Opilia ruwenzoriensis De Wild.
Opilia senegalensis Baill.
Opilia tomentella (Oliv.) Engl.
Common Name:
General Information
Opilia amentacea is a very variable plant. Usually an evergreen shrub that branches from the base, it often adopts a more climbing habit, with stems usually up to 15 metres long, but occasionally to 30 metres[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
,
733- Title
- Opiliaceae. Species Plantarum: Flora of the World, Part 12: 1-71
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hiepko P.
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/cjb
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève; Switze
- Year
- 2008
- ISBN
- 978-2-8277-0451-4
- Description
- An excellent monograph, part of a very ambitious project to catalogue all the plants in the world. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. Occasionally the plant has a more tree-like habit[
328- Title
- African Flowering Plants Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of wood.
Known Hazards
The stem and leaves are used as fish poison[
733- Title
- Opiliaceae. Species Plantarum: Flora of the World, Part 12: 1-71
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hiepko P.
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/cjb
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève; Switze
- Year
- 2008
- ISBN
- 978-2-8277-0451-4
- Description
- An excellent monograph, part of a very ambitious project to catalogue all the plants in the world. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Botanical References
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
,
451- Title
- Flora Malesiana Series 1
- Publication
-
- Author
- Various
- Website
- http://www.archive.org
- Publisher
- Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
,
733- Title
- Opiliaceae. Species Plantarum: Flora of the World, Part 12: 1-71
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hiepko P.
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/cjb
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève; Switze
- Year
- 2008
- ISBN
- 978-2-8277-0451-4
- Description
- An excellent monograph, part of a very ambitious project to catalogue all the plants in the world. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
Range
Widespread through most of tropical Africa; E. Asia China, Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Indo-China, Malaysia, Indonesia to N. Australia and Solomon.
Habitat
Found in a wide range of environments from coastal bushland, through Acacia woodland to dry forest, often in riverine forest; also in upland rainforest, at elevations from sea level to 1,900 metres[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Climber |
| Height | 10.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
The plant appears, at times, to be parasitic upon the roots of other plants[
451- Title
- Flora Malesiana Series 1
- Publication
-
- Author
- Various
- Website
- http://www.archive.org
- Publisher
- Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
].
Edible Uses
Fruits - raw[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
,
451- Title
- Flora Malesiana Series 1
- Publication
-
- Author
- Various
- Website
- http://www.archive.org
- Publisher
- Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
]. Juicy[
733- Title
- Opiliaceae. Species Plantarum: Flora of the World, Part 12: 1-71
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hiepko P.
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/cjb
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève; Switze
- Year
- 2008
- ISBN
- 978-2-8277-0451-4
- Description
- An excellent monograph, part of a very ambitious project to catalogue all the plants in the world. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. The orange-yellow drupe is up to 30mm long and 18m wide[
451- Title
- Flora Malesiana Series 1
- Publication
-
- Author
- Various
- Website
- http://www.archive.org
- Publisher
- Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
].
Leaves - cooked and eaten as a vegetable[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
]. They can be cooked on their own, or mixed with other vegetables, and are then served with a staple food such as rice[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].
Medicinal
The root is diuretic and purgative[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
]. A decoction or infusion is drunk for the treatment of fevers, mental illness, headache, influenza and stomach problems[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
]. The pounded root is mixed with sodium bicarbonate and the mixture licked to treat coughs[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].
An extract of the leaves containing sodium bicarbonate is used as an anthelmintic[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
]. A cold-water extract is drunk to treat oedema and a decoction is used to relieve toothache[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].
The bark is pounded and soaked and used to treat malaria[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].
Other Uses
The flexible stems are used for making chairs and storage containers[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].
The peeled twigs are used as chewing sticks in order to clean the teeth and maintain oral hygiene[
1447- Title
- Antimicrobial Activity of Tanzanian Chewing Sticks Against Oral Pathogenic Microbes
- Publication
- Pharmaceutical Biology, 38:3, 235-240; 2000
- Author
- Maryam N. Khan, Olipa Ngassapa & Mecky I.N. Matee
- Website
- https://doi.org/10.1076/1388-0209(200007)3831-SFT235
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2000
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
].
The wood is soft and light[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
]. It is used for making combs, toothbrushes and spoons[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].
The wood is used for fuel[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
]
Propagation
Seed -
Cuttings
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
