Common Name:

General Information

Flagellaria guineensis is a tall, tough, perennial climbing plant producing herbaceous stems up to 10 metres long from a rhizomatous root-stock[]. The stems are up to 25mm in diameter[]. The leaves are unusual in as much as they end in a hooked or twining extension of the midrib which helps the plant climb[, ].
The plant is often harvested from the wild, mainly for local medicinal use, but also as an emergency food and source of materials. The plant has ornamental value[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Ghana to Somalia, south to Angola, Mozambique and S. Africa.

Habitat

Coastal forest, swampy forest, along rivers, in forest edges, thickets and waste places, at elevations up to 1,100 metres[]. It is often found as a weed in rice fields[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	8.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Occurs as a weed on tree crop plantations in E Africa and is said to be resistant to herbicides[, ]. It is a weed invader of rice-fields in the Bendel state of Nigeria[].
The plant regrows from the base after cutting back[].

Edible Uses

The fruits are sometimes eaten[].

The seed is made into a porridge that is eaten during periods of severe food shortage, even though it causes stomach problems[].

Medicinal

The whole plant is prepared into medicine for skin-diseases and veldt sores and for refractory leg ulcers[]. Ash from the roasted plant, mixed with castor-oil, is rubbed into areas affected by rheumatic pain, and into scarifications on the temples as an analgesic for headache[, ]. The ash of burnt plants is also placed over a rupture to cure it[].

The leaf is thought to be aphrodisiac[, ]. A decoction of the leaves and twigs is claimed to be a good cure for chronic gonorrhoea[, ].
A decoction of the leafy twigs is used as a mouth wash against dental caries, whilst the leaf pulp is applied to the affected tooth[, ]. A decoction of the leafy twigs is used as a wash or vapour bath to cure kidney pain[]. The boiled leaves are applied hot for the treatment of hernia[].

The fleshy berry, applied externally, is widely used as a cure for venereal disease[]. An infusion is also drunk for this purpose[].
The fruit-pulp is highly irritant to the skin, and is made up as a poultice which is applied topically as a treatment for skin infections and venereal disease[, ].

Other Uses

Pieces of the stem are used as writing pens[].

The strong supple stems are commonly used to make fish-traps[, ]. The stems are used in hut-construction, basketry and weaving, whilst forest people prepare necklace cords from them[, ].
The wood is used as fuel[].

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: 10 times itself is?