Cissus quadrangularis L.
عطراء، العطرية، عرتية، سلع، عرتي
For people
- Eaten by people
- Edible
- Toxic to people
- Toxic
For livestock
- Grazed by livestock
- Not grazed
- Toxic to livestock
- Toxic
Edibility and safety notes
In India, Sri Lanka and parts of Africa the young green stems, shoots and leaves are eaten, but only cooked (fried or curried), never raw. The stems and leaves contain calcium oxalate crystals that irritate the skin, mouth and throat, sources disagree on whether the stems are otherwise poisonous, and no food use is recorded from Oman, so do not eat the raw plant or the berries. Livestock generally find it unpalatable and it should not be fed: in Sudan it is blamed for losses of sheep and goats (loss of appetite, staggering, laboured breathing, diarrhoea).
This guide is a hobby project, not expert advice. Never eat a wild plant, or feed it to animals, on the strength of this page alone. Read the disclaimer
Description
A perennial succulent climber of the grape family reaching 1.5 m with distinctive quadrangular (four-angled) buff-green stems. Internodes are 8-10 cm long. Toothed trilobed leaves 2-5 cm wide appear at nodes. Racemes of small white to yellowish flowers produce globular berries that are red when ripe.
Habitat
Found in drier to arid regions in lowland tropics and frost-free subtropics. Grows in thicket, Acacia woodland, grassland, coastal forest edges, sandy river banks, and areas of low rainfall.
Distribution
Occurs in drier parts of tropical Africa and Madagascar, Arabia, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Pastoral value
Weak grazing value; the leaves are grazed. In Guinea stems and leaves are fed to livestock, but in Sudan significant losses were reported among livestock that ate the plant.
Other uses
Traditionally used in Ayurvedic and African folk medicine, especially as a paste or poultice for broken bones, sprains, wounds, boils and burns, and for asthma, haemorrhoids, rheumatic pain and indigestion. In India, Sri Lanka and parts of Africa the young stems, shoots and leaves are eaten cooked (fried or curried), and the ash is used as a substitute for baking powder. The stems and roots yield a strong fibre, and the plant is grown as a hedge and to stabilise sand.
Sources
- الدليل الحقلي المصور للنباتات البرية في سلطنة عُمان (BOOK.pdf p.197)
- PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) - Cissus quadrangularis — plantuse.plantnet.org(PROTA)
- Plants For A Future - Cissus quadrangularis — pfaf.org
- Useful Tropical Plants - Cissus quadrangularis — tropical.theferns.info
- Wikipedia - Cissus quadrangularis — en.wikipedia.org
- Feedipedia - Cissus quadrangularis — feedipedia.org