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Asteraceae FAMILY

Launaea taraxacifolia

Launaea taraxacifolia

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Launaea taraxacifolia is a perennial plant producing a rosette of basal leaves and erect stems growing up to 1.3 metres tall from a woody rhizome[ 332 Title The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. Publication Author Burkil. H. M. Publisher Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. Year 1985 - 2004 ISBN Description 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/ ]. The plant can spread by means of underground rhizomes[ 617 Title Traditional Vegetables in Benin Publication Author Achigan-Dako E. Et al Publisher Darwin Initiative; International Foundation for Science Year 2009 ISBN Description Issued as a PDF on the Internet, it contains basic information on over 250 species of plants used for food in Benin. ]. A widely used leaf crop in Africa, where it is commonly gathered from the wild for local use. The plant is also sometimes cultivated as a leaf crop in Africa, the leaves often being sold in both local and regional markets as cooked or rolled-up balls prepared for use[ 332 Title The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. Publication Author Burkil. H. M. Publisher Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. Year 1985 - 2004 ISBN Description 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/ , 617 Title Traditional Vegetables in Benin Publication Author Achigan-Dako E. Et al Publisher Darwin Initiative; International Foundation for Science Year 2009 ISBN Description Issued as a PDF on the Internet, it contains basic information on over 250 species of plants used for food in Benin. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical
Native RangeTropical Africa - Mauritania, Senegal, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania
HabitatFields, fallows and abandoned areas[ 617 Title Traditional Vegetables in Benin Publication Author Achigan-Dako E. Et al Publisher Darwin Initiative; International Foundation for Science Year 2009 ISBN Description Issued as a PDF on the Internet, it contains basic information on over 250 species of plants used for food in Benin. ]. Frequently found in disturbed localities in open savannah, it is also occasionally recorded from undisturbed localities in grassland with scattered trees at elevations from 1,300 - 1,700 metres[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].