Veldt Grape (Cissus quadrangularis)

Family: Vitaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Also known as Devil's Backbone, Adamant Creeper, and Pirandai, Veldt Grape or Cissus quadrangularis is a deciduous, succulent, climbing perennial plant that reaches up to 3 m long. The leaves are toothed and trilobe, and occur only on the nodes of young shoots. The small green or yellow flowers form into clusters. The fruit is red to black and round. The plant is tolerant to drought and can be used for xeriscaping.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Berries, Leaves, Shoots

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Young green stems - cooked. Usually fried or curried. The leaves and young shoots are used in the preparation of poppadoms and curries. Fruit. The ash of the plant is used as a substitute for baking powder. — Young green stems - cooked.; Usually fried or curried.; The leaves and young shoots are used in the preparation of poppadoms and curries.; The ash of the plant is used as a substitute for baking powder.

Habitat & North American Range

Scrub; thicket; Acacia woodland; grassland with scattered Combretum etc; termite mounds; riverine thicket; coastal forest edges; sandy banks of rivers; outwash gully in dense mixed thicket; at elevations from near sea level to 2,250 metres in Africa. (Zone 10)