Fevillea cordifolia
L.
Cucurbitaceae
Common Name: Antidote Vine
Three fruits hanging on a vine
Photograph by: A. Gentry
General Information
Antidote vine is a vigorous, perennial climbing plant, scrambling over the ground and climbing into other vegetation, where it secures itself by means of tendrils[
346- Title
- Economic Plants. An index to Economic Products of the Vegetable Kingdom in Jamaica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fawcett. W.
- Publisher
- Government of Jamaica, Kingston.
- Year
- 1891
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A nice little guide giving a terse description and details of useful plants grown economically in Jamaica. Rather dated, so many of the names have been changed since then. Also available for download from the Internet.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use of its oil-rich seed and for its medicinal applications. The species has been recommended as a commercial oil crop for tropical rain forests[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
Known Hazards
The seeds are used in a hunting poison[
348- Title
- Medicinal Plants of the Guianas
- Publication
-
- Author
- DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J.
- Website
- http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html
- Publisher
- Smithsonian Museum
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region
].
Botanical References
Range
S. America to Central America, from northern Argentina to southern Mexico and the Caribbean.
Habitat
River banks and on the edges of tropical primary or secondary forests from sea level to 500 metres[
284- Title
- Cucurbitaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.cucurbit.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent site with a wide range of information and some excellent pictures of plants in this family.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial Climber |
| Height | 30.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
The seed content, on a weight per fruit basis, is higher than for any other dicotyledon and is one of the highest recorded for any plant[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
Edible Uses
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. Pleasant tasting with an odour reminiscent of peanut oil[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
Medicinal
Traditionally used in native medicine as a purgative and antidote to various poisons[
284- Title
- Cucurbitaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.cucurbit.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent site with a wide range of information and some excellent pictures of plants in this family.
].
The seeds are antirheumatic. They are used as an antidote to manchineel poisoning and manioc poisoning[
348- Title
- Medicinal Plants of the Guianas
- Publication
-
- Author
- DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J.
- Website
- http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html
- Publisher
- Smithsonian Museum
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region
].
The seeds have been used with success, in the form of an emulsion, for treating intermittent fever, and as a counterpoison[
346- Title
- Economic Plants. An index to Economic Products of the Vegetable Kingdom in Jamaica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fawcett. W.
- Publisher
- Government of Jamaica, Kingston.
- Year
- 1891
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A nice little guide giving a terse description and details of useful plants grown economically in Jamaica. Rather dated, so many of the names have been changed since then. Also available for download from the Internet.
].
Other Uses
The seeds are a rich source of oil, which has been used to make candles[
346- Title
- Economic Plants. An index to Economic Products of the Vegetable Kingdom in Jamaica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fawcett. W.
- Publisher
- Government of Jamaica, Kingston.
- Year
- 1891
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A nice little guide giving a terse description and details of useful plants grown economically in Jamaica. Rather dated, so many of the names have been changed since then. Also available for download from the Internet.
]. The oil can be used for painting the face to make it shiny before painting it over with annatto (Bixa orellana)[
521- Title
- Useful Plants of the Siona and Secoya Indians of Eastern Ecuador.
- Publication
- Fieldiana Botany New Series No. 15
- Author
- Vickers W.T.; Plowman T.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Field Museum of Natural History; USA.
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0015 - 0746
- Description
- Very terse, but it gives the uses of a large number of species. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
A good torch can be made by stringing the dried seeds together on a thin stick then setting light to it[
346- Title
- Economic Plants. An index to Economic Products of the Vegetable Kingdom in Jamaica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fawcett. W.
- Publisher
- Government of Jamaica, Kingston.
- Year
- 1891
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A nice little guide giving a terse description and details of useful plants grown economically in Jamaica. Rather dated, so many of the names have been changed since then. Also available for download from the Internet.
,
521- Title
- Useful Plants of the Siona and Secoya Indians of Eastern Ecuador.
- Publication
- Fieldiana Botany New Series No. 15
- Author
- Vickers W.T.; Plowman T.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Field Museum of Natural History; USA.
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0015 - 0746
- Description
- Very terse, but it gives the uses of a large number of species. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
