Common Name: Tietie

General Information

Tietie is a climbing shrub producing woody stems 3 metres or more long that climb into the surrounding vegetation, attaching themselves by means of tendrils..
Usually harvested from the wild for local use, the plant is very occasionally cultivated for the edible arils and leaves[].

Known Hazards

All plant parts contain alkaloids (timbonine) and saponins. They are used as fish poison etc., and for medicinal applications[]. Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[].
The seeds have been used for criminal poisoning[].
The juice is used for poisoning arrows[].

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, north to the Caribbean and Central America. Tropical Africa - Senegal to Sudan, south to Zimbabwe.

Habitat

Dry or moist thickets at elevations below 900 metres in Guatemala[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	4.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruit - a sweet flavour[]. The aril, and the sweet, powdery pulp of the fruit are sometimes eaten[].

Leaves - cooked as a vegetable[, ].

Flowers[].

Medicinal

The plant is used medicinally[].

An infusion of the leaves is used to treat metabolic disorders in young children[].

Other Uses

The stems are much used for cordage[]. The stems and twigs are employed for cordage[, ]. The fibres obtained from the stems are used for making ropes[].

The roots are used as chewsticks to keep the teeth clean and healthy[].

Propagation

Seed -

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