Apocynaceae FAMILY

Landolphia kirkii

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Landolphia kirkii is an evergreen, straggling or climbing shrub, either scrambling across the ground or climbing into other plants and attaching itself by means of tendrils[ 308 Title Flora Zambesiaca Publication Author Website http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants. ]. It can produce stems up to 18 metres long, and in exceptional cases up to 30 metres long[ 308 Title Flora Zambesiaca Publication Author Website http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for its fruit, which is consumed locally[ 323 Title Lost Crops of Africa. Vol. 3 Fruits. Publication Author Publisher National Academy Press Year 2008 ISBN 030910596X Description Masses of information on about 70 species of plants that have been utilized as fruits in Africa. ]. This species was at one time the major rubber plant in east Africa, with the latex being exported to Europe[ 323 Title Lost Crops of Africa. Vol. 3 Fruits. Publication Author Publisher National Academy Press Year 2008 ISBN 030910596X Description Masses of information on about 70 species of plants that have been utilized as fruits in Africa. ]. However, with the rise in cultivation of Hevea brasiliensis, this species was no longer valued and its exploitation fell into decline. Nowadays the latex is only used locally.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeEastern Africa - Kenya, Tanzania, DR Congo, S. Africa.

HabitatA strong climber in forest, at forest edges and in Brachystegia bushland, miombo woodlands on plateaux and wet valleys[ 398 Title Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania Publication Author Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B. Publisher Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi. Year 2002 ISBN 9966-896-60-0 Description A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants. ].