Common Name:

General Information

Eminia antennulifera is an erect or climbing perennial plant with stems that often become woody near the base; it can grow 75 - 180cm tall. The plant often flowers when quite short and before the leaves appear, especially after a fire[, , ],
The plant is harvested from the wild for its root, which is used as a food and is one of several species that is used to make a locally very popular alcoholic beverage known as 'munkoyo beer'.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

East Africa - Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe

Habitat

Deciduous bushland; Brachystegia woodland; miombo; mixed deciduous woodland; at elevations from 150 - 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	1.20 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

Roots - raw or cooked. The younger ones are often eaten raw, older ones either cooked or dried and ground to a powder[]. The roots are rather fibrous, traditionally they would be chewed and the fibrous portion spat out. If the root is dried and powdered, the fibre can be separated by sieving prior to cooking
The juicy roots are used as a sweetening agent when making a very popular, traditional, mildly alcoholic drink known as 'munkoyo beer'[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: Type the digit seven into the box