Common Name:

General Information

Chrozophora is a monoecious, annual to short-lived perennial herb growing up to 50 cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, dye and source of oil.

Known Hazards

Fresh shoots are toxic to many grazing mammals, though camels eat it[].

Botanical References

Range

Africa - Senegal to Somalia, south to N. South Africa. Also Egypt and Saudi Arabia to tropical Asia.

Habitat

Flood plains of rivers, along drainage channels, usually in damp or desiccating black clay soils and alluvial soils, on mudflats and sandbanks, up to 1,200 metres[]. Also found as a weed of arable land[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual/Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Edible Uses

A red and a blue dye are obtained from the petals fruit and sap[]. Called 'tournesol', it is used for colouring liqueurs, wines, pastries and Dutch cheeses[].

Medicinal

The pounded stems or whole plants are applied to wounds to improve healing[]. The plant is also used in the treatment of jaundice and to purify the blood[].

An infusion of the seeds and leaves is taken as a laxative[].

Other Uses

The fruits yield a purplish blue dye, which is used in East Africa to dye mats[].

The seed oil resembles cotton-seed oil in its proportions of linoleic, oleic and saturated acids[]. The total linolenic and linoleic acid content varied from 60 - 75%[].

Propagation

Seed -

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