Cyperaceae FAMILY

Scleria boivinii

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

The leaves have razor-sharp edges. If the scabrid parts are eaten they cause damage to the gut. Criminal use in this way has been recorded from the Liberia/Ivory Coast border region[ 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/ ].

Botanical Description

Scleria boivinii is a perennial, herbaceous climbing plant producing stems up to 12 metres long. The leaves have razor-sharp edges, the plant often forming impenetrable thickets in scrub, bush and secondary forest[ 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/ ]. The plant has a range of local medicinal uses and is often gathered from the wild.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeTropical Africa - Senegal to Central African Republic, south to Angola and Tanzania; also in Madagascar and the Comoros.

HabitatOften forming impenetrable thickets in scrub, bush and secondary forest[ 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/ ].