Baccharoides (Baccharoides hymenolepis)

Family: Asteraceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (4/5)

Baccharoides hymenolepis is a perennial plant of up to 4-12 m tall found in tropical Africa. It is commonly cultivated as food plant.Plant parts are medicinally used as treatment for pneumonia, abdominal pains, jaundice, and diarrhoea among others. The leaves are edible - raw, cooked, or dried for later use. Dried stems and branches are used as fuel. The plant is also used as an ornamental.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked. Eaten in salads, as a potherb or used as a garnish. The leaves can be dried for later use. — Leaves - raw or cooked.; Eaten in salads, as a potherb or used as a garnish.; The leaves can be dried for later use.; The leaves are less bitter than related species that are used in the same ways, such as bitterleaf (Gymnanthemum amygdalinum).

Habitat & North American Range

Along rivers and roadsides, in forest margins, old cultivation sites and bushed grassland, also in montane forest and often found in disturbed habitats; usually at elevations from 1,200 - 3,000 metres, sometimes descending to 600 metres. (Zone 10)