Common Name:

General Information

Lapeirousia erythrantha is a perennial plant growing 15 - 45cm tall. The plant produces a single, branched stem from an underground corm[].
The corms are harvested from the wild as a food in times when better foods are not available.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Tropical Africa - northern Nigeria, DR Congo, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe.

Habitat

Usually in shallow soils over rock, on or at the base of granite outcrops, or in lateritic pans or shallow pans in areas of impeded drainage in mopane or miombo woodlands, less often in open grassland[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Corm
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Bees, Wasps
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant's frequency in thin soils in rocky sites suggests that the corms are protected in such habitats, while in deeper ground they are accessible to rodents, porcupines, and perhaps other animals. There seems no a priori reason for the apparent preference for rocky habitats, and plants grow well in cultivation in almost any type and depth of soil[].

Edible Uses

Corms - raw or cooked[]. The corms are eaten as a famine food[]. The corm is 8 - 16mm in diameter at its base[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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