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Useful Tropical Plants

Leptactina benguelensis

(Welw. ex Benth. & Hook.f.) R.D.Good

Rubiaceae

+ Synonyms

Heinsia benguelensis Welw. ex Benth. & Hook.f.

Leptactina heinsioides Hiern

Leptactina lanceolata K.Schum.

Leptactina tetraloba N.E.Br.

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Leptactina benguelensis is a perennial, wiry subshrub that can be more or less erect and much-branched, or prostrate and forming cushions 30 - 200cm in diameter and 30 - 120cm tall from a thick woody rootstock[
308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for its edible fruit and nectar, which are consumed locally.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.

Range

Southern Africa - Zaire, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.

Habitat

Brachystegia - Isoberlinia and Baikiaea woodlands, sometimes by rivers, fringing thicket etc. But also in grassland, often on kopjes and granite hillside; at elevations from 540 - 1,740 metres[
308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
HabitPerennial
Height1.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[
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.
]. A very strong, sweet scent[
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.
]. Several reports mention that the fruits are edible, but they must be thinly fleshy and are full of stony seeds[
308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
]. The orange-yellow-cream, rounded berry is 1 - 2cm long, thinly fleshy, edible but full of dark brown stony seeds[
398
Title
Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
Publication
 
Author
Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
Publisher
Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
Year
2002
ISBN
9966-896-60-0
Description
A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].

The flowers are sucked for their sweet nectar[
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.
].

The dried leaves are used to add flavour to tea[
398
Title
Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
Publication
 
Author
Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
Publisher
Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
Year
2002
ISBN
9966-896-60-0
Description
A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Root suckers.
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Leptactina+benguelensis>

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