Fabaceae FAMILY
Abrus melanospermus
Abrus melanospermus
Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5
Safety & Hazards
None known
Botanical Description
Abrus melanospermus is a scrambling shrub producing numerous stems up to 6 metres long that either scramble over the ground or twine around other plants for support. The root is sometimes gathered from the wild and used like liquorice[ 46 Title Dictionary of Economic Plants. Publication Author Uphof. J. C. Th. Publisher Weinheim Year 1959 ISBN - Description An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader. ].
Habitat & Origin
Origintropical
Native RangeTropical Africa - Senegal to Ethiopia, south to Angola and Mozambique; E. Asia - Indian subcontinent, China, Malaysia, Indo-China, Philippines.
HabitatValley forests at elevations of 400 - 3,000 metres in southern China[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ]. Secondary vegetation and galleried forest, preferring damp locations[ 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/ ].