Common Name:

General Information

Oxygonum sinuatum is an erect or decumbent, often spreading, annual plant producing stems up to 90cm long[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. In parts of Uganda the plant is allowed or even encouraged to grow as a weed in home gardens[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - drier areas from Niger to Egypt and Somalia, south through eastern Africa to Angola, Namibia, Botswana and S. Africa.

Habitat

A common weed in cultivation, along roadsides and in grasslands, at elevations from sea level to 2,400 metres[, ].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.70 m
Cultivation Status	Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of generally drier areas in the tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 2,400 metres. In Uganda, the plant is found growing in areas where the mean annual rainfall is within the range 1,000 - 1,600mm[].
Grows mainly in poor sandy soils in the wild[]. Found in well-drained loamy soils in Uganda[].
The plant is well known within its native range as a troublesome weed because it is efficiently distributed by its prickly fruits[].
The plants are polygamous - the flowers can be either bisexual or unisexual[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked and eaten as a vegetable[, ]. An acid flavour[]. The leaves are usually cooked with other vegetables such as Amaranthus, Bidens and Galinsoga species in order to soften them[]. A favourite dish in some areas, whilst in others it is considered to be a famine food and is only eaten when there is nothing better available[].
The dried and powdered leaves and shoots are stored for future use - they have a milder flavour than the fresh leaves[].

Medicinal

The stems are chewed as a treatment for tonsilitis[].
The leaves are applied as a poultice on boils[]. They are squeezed and the juice is dropped into the eyes to treat conjunctivitis, and is applied topically to treat fungal infections of the legs and feet[, ].

The roots are used for the treatment of VD[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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