Common Name:

General Information

Psychotria eminiana is a sparsely branched, perennial plant with stems that can become more or less woody - it can then become much more shrub or tree-like in appearance. It can grow from 15 - 500cm tall, the glabrous to pubescent stems arising from a woody rhizome[, ].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food - especially during the dry season when variety is restricted. The plant is also used locally as a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic. Chad, Sudan, DR Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique.

Habitat

Deciduous thicket, Brachystegia woodland and derived open bushland, usually on dry burnt ground or stony hills but sometimes riverine, at elevations from 500 - 1,650 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

This is a rather variable species, and several distinct varieties have been described. Most of this habit variation seems to be caused by differences in the frequency that an area is burnt, and the extent of the damage caused. Plants that are protected from fire for some years become much woodier than other ones[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked. Traditionally, they are cooked with ashes to prepare a slimy vegetable dish called ‘thelele’, which is particularly liked by older people in Africa[].

Medicinal

The plant is used in the treatment of intestinal diseases and worms[].

The rhizomes are used to treat snakebites; fresh rhizomes are chewed and the juice swallowed, or they may be pounded and the infusion used both orally and externally on the wound[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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