Common Name:

General Information

Landolphia dulcis is a climbing shrub producing stout woody, perennial stems up to 10 metres long that attach themselves to other plants for support by means of tendrils[].
The plant is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical west Africa - Senegal to Nigeria and extending into the Congo.

Habitat

Subsp dulcis is found in savannah in the west of the species range, whilst subsp barteri becomes more common in the east of the range, where it is found in dense forest[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Two varieties are recognized in the Region:-
Var. dulcis occurs in the Soudano-Guinean savanna region of Senegal to Guinea, becoming infrequent in upper Ivory Coast.
Var. barteri (Stapf) Pichon is more widely dispersed in the dense forest from Guinea to S Nigeria and extending to Congo.
The varieties are considered together here[].

Edible Uses

The fruit is edible but of variable palatability, sometimes sweet, sometimes acid, sometimes astringent[]. Perhaps these are varietal differences[].

Medicinal

The plant is held in Senegalese medicine to have healing properties and is used medicinally in various ways[]. Research has shown that the leaves contain an alkaloid and saponins, whilst there are also saponins in the bark[]. The trunk bark has also shown cardio-tonic action[].

Serious wounds are treated with a decoction of leafy twigs and powdered bark[].

Decoctions of the roots and stems are used for external massaging and in baths and ointments for treating arthritis and kidney pains[].

Decoctions of the trunk-bark and root are used as a galactagogue by application to the breast[]. Weaning is facilitated for the mother simply by stopping further application[].

The roots are renowned in some parts of Africa for their supposed effectiveness as an aphrodisiac[].
A root-preparation is applied to sores[].

Other Uses

The bark yields an abundant white latex which does not coagulate but yields a sticky substance[]. The rubber is inferior and has found no use[].

Propagation

Seed -

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