Common Name:

General Information

Dioclea sclerocarpa is a climbing plant with twining stems that scramble over the ground and climb into the surrounding vegetation.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

The seed contains anti-nutritional substances. In particular, a non-haemagglutinating pH 7 soluble factor that could not be removed by exhaustive dialysis. The apparently poor protein digestibility observed when eating this seed may be due to increased secretion of endogenous nitrogen[].

Botanical References

Range

S. America - northern Brazil

Habitat

Rain forest, inundated and gallery forest, along the sides of rivers and in areas of human disturbance.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[]. A traditional food of the native peoples, it is still used by rural populations as an emergency food in times of shortage[]. See notes above regarding toxicity.

Medicinal

The seed of this species (and many other members of the genus) contain lectins that have a range of actions within the body that are of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Many have the potential as the basis of new drugs to treat a range of diseases including cancer.

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

The seed has a very tough seedcoat and a firm flesh. Many species in the genus grow near rivers or the sea and their seeds can be carried for many months over long distances in the water, whilst retaining viability. It is believed that the seed of some species can retain viability for over 100 years in the soil so long as the seedcoat is not damaged. In order to get the seeds to germinate within one's own lifetime, it is generally necessary to damage the seedcoat without damaging the flesh inside. This can be done quite easily by either cutting a notch into the seedcoat, or abrading it with sandpaper. Once this is done, soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and it should germinate quite quickly[].

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