This species was at one time considered to be part of a more variable Maerua decumbens, but is now generally considered to be distinct with a more southerly range than that species. Modern treatments restrict Maerua decumbens to Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia, with this species ranging from Kenya southwards in eastern Africa[, ].

Common Name:

General Information

Maerua edulis is a much-branched, evergreen, perennial plant, with a woody rootstock that is often large and swollen, growing 1 - 3 metres tall. It varies in habit from a herbaceous plant with more or less woody stems , to a true shrub with stiff branches[, ].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and means of purifying water. It is sometimes grown as a hedge and ornamental[].

Known Hazards

The plant is known to be toxic[].
The leaves are used as a fish poison[].

Botanical References

Range

East Africa - eastern DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, northern S. Africa.

Habitat

Deciduous or semi-evergreen bushland, bushed grassland, wooded grassland, often near seasonal rivers or lakes, conspicuous in burnt grassland, regenerating quickly from its woody rootstock, at elevations from sea level to 1,800 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. A sweet flavour, they are mainly eaten by children herding animals and during periods of famine[]. The fruit is a yellow-orange, globose or ovoid capsule 15 - 30mm long, containing 1 - 4 seeds[].

The roots are chewed to quench thirst[].

Medicinal

The leaves are pounded and the juice drunk in the treatment of allergies[].

The roots and bark are soaked in warm water and the resulting liquid is drunk in the treatment of VD[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is sometimes grown as a hedge[].

Other Uses

The leaves are used for purifying water[].

Propagation

Seed -

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