Common Name:

General Information

Satyrium macrophyllum is a perennial, herbaceous plant producing erect stems 15 - 80cm tall arising from a pair of round-oval underground tubers, 10 - 25mm long, 10mm across[].
A very popular wild food, the plant is commonly harvested from the wild for its tubers, which are widely sold in local markets[]. The plant is also sometimes grown as an ornamental[].
The plant is locally common, but is becoming increasingly rare due to over collecting. Harvesting of orchid tubers destroys the whole plant and is thus an unsustainable harvesting method which should be discouraged. To maintain
wild populations, studies on domestication are urgently needed[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

East tropical Africa - eastern DR Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, S. Africa.

Habitat

Damp or poorly drained upland grassland, edges of scrub or open Brachystegia woodland at elevations from 1,200 - 2,900 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	0.60 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Tubers - cooked[]. Cooked and eaten like potatoes[]. The tubers are peeled, pounded, the flour fermented and then baked into cakes, which are eaten with tea[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Division of tubers[].

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