This species can be easily confused with Cercestis camerunensis, which occurs from Nigeria to Gabon. The uses described below may therefore be equally applicable to Cercestis camerunensis[].

Common Name:

General Information

Cercestis mirabilis is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant producing stems up to about 10 metres long. The stems are up to 5cm in diameter; they scramble over the ground and climb into the surrounding vegetation, attaching themselves by means of clasping roots[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of fibre.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Benin to Uganda, south to Angola,

Habitat

Lowland humid forests, at elevations up to 400 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	8.00 m
Pollinators	Flies
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Cercestis mirabilis is a plant of the lowland, humid tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 400 metres[].

The plant can be cut back quite severely when harvesting it. New shoots are soon produced from the lower stem[]

Edible Uses

Young leaves and inflorescences - cooked and eaten as a vegetable[].

Medicinal

The leaves are cooked in butter made from moabi nuts (Baillonella toxisperma), together with an unspecified fungus, and eaten to treat liver complaints and stitch. The leaves may also be combined with the bark of various trees, the rhizome of Sarcophrynium species and seeds of chilli to treat the same ailment[]s. The leaf sap is taken in draught with kaolin, melegueta pepper (Aframomum melegueta) and rock salt to treat heart troubles and to stop vomiting[].

Other Uses

The long pendulous roots are used as ties for yams[].
The central fibrous core of the roots is used as a fishing line[].

Propagation

Seed -

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