Common Name:

General Information

Digera muricata is an annual herb growing up to 70 cm tall with a stem that can be simple or branched[].
Often gathered from the wild for local use as a food, in some areas it is also cultivated and sold in local markets[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Eastern Africa through tropical and subtropical Asia to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Habitat

Most common on disturbed and waste ground, but it also occurs in many kinds of habitat, from dry savannah and semi-desert to moist localities on deep clay and mud soils, from sea-level up to 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.70 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A very adaptable plant, it occurs naturally in both tropical and subtropical regions, where it can be found in semi-arid through to quite moist areas[].

The plant often occurs as a weed in fields in its native range, and can sometimes become troublesome[].
Two distinct subspecies of this plant have been distinguished:
subsp. Muricata, which occurs mainly in Asia, but also in eastern Africa and Madagascar;
subsp. Trinervis, found mainly in Africa. Based on hairiness of leaves and on form of scales in sterile flowers, several varieties have been distinguished in subsp. Trinervis, of which var. patentipilosa seems most suitable as a leafy vegetable because it has large leaves[].

Edible Uses

Leaves and young shoots - cooked[]. Used as a pot herb[]. The plant is often used locally as a vegetable, and is particularly popular as a cooked vegetable amongst the coastal tribes of Kenya[]. In India the leaves are made into curries or the entire plant is boiled in water and seasoned with salt and chilli[]. Sometimes it is considered a famine food, and is only used when nothing else is available[].

The flowers are rich in nectar which is sometimes sucked by children in Kenya[].

Medicinal

Used internally against digestive system disorders[].

The seeds and flowers are used to treat urinary disorders[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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