Common Name:

General Information

Merremia umbellata is a perennial climbing plant with herbaceous stems 1 - 3 metres long that scramble over the ground and twine into other plants for support. The stems sometimes become more or less woody, especially near the base, and persist for more than a year[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is often grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its flowers.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, through Asia to New Guinea and Australia; tropical and subtropical America.

Habitat

Thickets, along edges of forests, in plantations, in grasslands, along fields and roadsides, at elevations from sea-level up to 1,100 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual Climber
Height	2.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows best in a sunny position, preferring a well-drained soil[].
The plant is often grown as an ornamental. It has escaped from cultivation in many places and can become naturalized, invading native areas[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - mixed with vegetables then cooked and eaten as a vegetable[, ].

Medicinal

The plant is said to be alterative, deobstruent and diuretic[]. A decoction is considered useful in the treatment of rheumatism, neuralgia, headache, etc. It is used also for dropping into the ear in cases of auricular ulcers, abscesses, etc[].

The leaves are emollient[]. The dried, powdered leaves are sniffed up the nose as a treatment for epilepsy[].
The pounded leaves are used to poultice burns, abscesses, ulcers, sores and scalds. A poultice of the leaves, combined with Curcuma powder (Curcuma longa) is applied on cracks on the hands and in the soles of the feet[, , ].

The seeds, when soaked in water, yield a mucilage that is used as an aperient and alterative in the treatment of cutaneous diseases[].

The tubers are mildly laxative and are widely taken as a remedy for dysentery[].

A decoction of the roots is drunk as a remedy for haematuria[].
A paste or powder made of the root, often mixed with Java flour and water, is applied as a poultice to swellings[, ].
The latex of the root is taken as a purgative[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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