PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
Euphorbiaceae FAMILY

Cnidoscolus aconitifolius

Cnidoscolus aconitifolius

Edibility
4/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

The uncooked leaves contain cyanogenic glycosides that produce hydrogen cyanide upon tissue damage[1]. The cooking time required to lower HCN to safe levels is about 15 minutes[1]. Long-term contact with the white sap can cause skin irritation[1]. The leaves of most members of this genus have stinging hairs, this species is, apparently, only lightly armed[2], though gloves should probably still be used when harvesting them[3].

Cultivation Details

HabitShrub
Growth—

A plant of tropical regions, it can survive harsh conditions of high temperatures and droughts[1]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 32°c, but can tolerate 12 - 38°c[4]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 500 - 2,500mm[4]. Prefers a sunny position, but also succeeds in deep shade[1, 4]. Thrives on a wide range of soils[3]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7.5[4]. Plants are tolerant of occasional inundation[3, 1]. Established plants are drought tolerant[1]. Although the plant can reach 6 metres in height, the stems are easily broken by wind and it is recommended that a height of less than 2 metres be maintained[1]. The first harvest can be taken 90 - 120 days after planting out[4]. A fast-growing plant that resprouts well after cutting[3]. The leaves are larger when grown in partial shade[3]. Annual dry leaf yields of up to 12 t/ha are possible on fertile soil with about 9,000 plants/ha[1]. The optimum harvest period is only 2 - 3 months per year, but in home gardens leaves are harvested as needed all the year round[1]. The plant is ever-growing with a perpetual crop of leaves[5]. Harvesting is best done with protected hands, because even in unarmed plants, long-term contact with the white sap can cause skin irritation[1]. Serious diseases and pests are not known[1]. There are a number of named varieties[1].

Propagation

Seed - Stem cuttings about 40 cm long, that are dried for 1 - 14 days before being planted[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cnidoscolus+aconitifolius>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
  2. [2]Journal of the Arnold Arboretum Vol. 48 — Harvard University · 1967 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Includes a treatment of the N. American genera of Euphorbiaceae, but not down to specific level. In can be downloaded from the Internet.
  3. [3]Edible Leaves of the Tropics — Martin. F. W.; Ruberte. R. M. & Meitzner. L. S. · Echo. USA. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9653360-1-8 ↩︎A terse guide, giving reasonable detail on the more common leaf crops and brief information on a wide range of lesser known plants.
  4. [4]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  5. [5]The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. — Burkil. H. M. · Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. · 1985 - 2004 ↩︎Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
  6. [6]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.