About Landolphia dulcis Fruit(Apocynaceae)

Landolphia dulcis is a climbing shrub producing stout woody, perennial stems up to 10 metres long that attach themselves to other plants for support by means of tendrils. The plant is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use as a food and medicine The fruit is edible but of variable palatability, sometimes sweet, sometimes acid, sometimes astringent. Perhaps these are varietal differences.Subsp dulcis is found in savannah in the west of the species range, whilst subsp barteri becomes more common in the east of the range, where it is found in dense forest.

The plant is held in Senegalese medicine to have healing properties and is used medicinally in various ways . Research has shown that the leaves contain an alkaloid and saponins, whilst there are also saponins in the bark . The trunk bark has also shown cardio-tonic action.

Order : Gentianales