Combretaceae FAMILY

Combretum aculeatum

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Combretum aculeatum is a climbing or rambling shrub producing stems 4 metres or more long. The leaf petioles are 1 - 10mm long, persisting after the rest of the leaf has fallen and forming recurved spines that are up to 30 mm long. The plants hairy branches, together with these curved thorns, allow it to hook on to surrounding trees and shrubs[ 325 Title Seed Leaflets Publication Author Various Website http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title Publisher Forest & Landscape. Denmark Year 0 ISBN Description A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, source of fuel and material for basketry.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeTropical Africa - Mauritania to N Nigeria and across Africa to Somalia, northern Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda.

HabitatWidespread in dry areas, bushland, woodland, savannah, and wooded grassland. Often found along rivers, riverine forest and ground water forests, as well as on rocky slopes. It grows in bushland on fixed dunes, on sandy alluvium or in rocky places[ 325 Title Seed Leaflets Publication Author Various Website http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title Publisher Forest & Landscape. Denmark Year 0 ISBN Description A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant. ].