Plants known by Tiv names — part 6 of 10 (Ishase; Asase (pl.) to Kpaagh), 389 plants in all. Each entry gives the English and scientific names where they are known, a description, and what the archive records of the plant’s medicinal, food and ritual uses and how it is grown.
Cashew; Cashew nut; Cashew apple
Anacardium occidentale
- Description
- A spreading evergreen tree bearing a swollen edible "cashew apple" with a single kidney-shaped nut attached at its base.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark, leaves, and nut-shell extracts are used traditionally for wounds, toothache, diarrhoea, and hypertension, and are studied for anti-inflammatory activity.
- As food
- The cashew apple is eaten fresh or juiced; the nut is roasted and eaten as a widely traded snack.
- Cultivation
- Widely cultivated across the tropics as a cash crop for its nuts and increasingly for the apple; propagated from seed or grafted seedlings.
Kenaf; Deccan hemp; Bimli jute; Java jute
Hibiscus cannabinus
- Description
- An upright annual grown for the strong fiber in its stem, used much like jute.
- As food
- Young leaves are eaten as a vegetable in parts of Africa.
- Cultivation
- Grown as a fiber crop, harvested and retted to separate the bast fiber from the stem.
Pubescent edible gardenia; Savanna gardenia
Gardenia aqualla
- Description
- A savanna shrub of the Gardenia genus, related to the red/savanna gardenia already in the archive.
- Cultivation
- A wild shrub of Sudanian savanna.
Hibiscus bur; Cadillo; Caesar weed; Congo jute
Urena lobata
- Description
- A shrubby weed with small pink flowers and bristly, burred seed pods, valued for the strong bast fiber in its stem.
- Medicinal uses
- Used across Africa for pneumonia, rheumatism, fever, wounds, malaria, dysentery, and respiratory complaints.
- Cultivation
- Stem bark is stripped and processed into cordage, twine, and sacking fiber, similar to jute.
Bermuda grass; Couch grass; Creeping dog's tooth grass
Cynodon dactylon
- Description
- A low, wiry creeping grass that forms dense mats, among the most widespread lawn and pasture grasses in the world.
- Medicinal uses
- Used in traditional medicine as a diuretic and for wound-healing; leaf juice is applied to cuts and stings.
- As food
- Grazed extensively as pasture and cut for hay.
- Cultivation
- Spreads by both seed and creeping stems (stolons); highly drought- and trample-tolerant.
Coral tree; Senegal coral tree; Senegal flame tree
Erythrina senegalensis
- Description
- A small tree with bright red-orange flowers, often planted as a living fence or ornamental.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark and leaves are used across West Africa for fever, jaundice, and inflammation; also used as a chewing stick.
- Cultivation
- Easily propagated from cuttings; commonly planted as living fence posts and boundary markers.
Senegal Coral Tree, Parrot Tree, Coral Tree, Red Bean Tree
Erythrina Senegalensis
- Description
- Erythrina senegalensis is a deciduous, thorny tree native to West Africa, known for its vibrant red flowers and extensive use in traditional medicine. It thrives in savannas and wooded grasslands, playing a significant role in ecological soil nitrogen fixation.
- Medicinal uses
- The bark, leaves, and roots are used to treat malaria, fever, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory infections, women’s reproductive issues, wounds, jaundice, snake bites, and gonorrhea, with confirmed anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties.
- As food
- Bark and leaves are sometimes added to soups for postpartum care, seeds are used for necklaces and game counters, and the bark is occasionally chewed as an aphrodisiac (raw seeds are toxic).
- Ritual uses
- Considered sacred in some cultures, it is planted near homes for protection, and its red seeds are used in traditional rituals.
- Cultivation
- Erythrina senegalensis propagates easily from woody cuttings and grows well in drought-prone, disturbed areas and woodland
Sickle senna; Sickle pod; Coffee senna
Senna obtusifolia
- Description
- A weedy legume with sickle-shaped seed pods, common on farmland and waste ground.
- Medicinal uses
- Seeds and leaves have laxative properties; large doses are toxic and can cause diarrhoea and tremors.
- As food
- Young leaves are fermented and used as a meat substitute in parts of Africa; roasted seeds have served as a coffee substitute.
- Cultivation
- A fast-growing weed of disturbed and cultivated ground.
Sensel, Simiza, Dhumuugaa, and Schimper’s Justicia
Justicia schimperiana
- Description
- Justicia schimperiana is an evergreen shrub widely used in traditional African medicine, especially for treating respiratory, digestive, and infectious diseases
- Medicinal uses
- The leaves and stems are extensively used to treat asthma, colds, diarrhea, infections, parasites, headaches, and liver-related ailments.
- As food
- The leaves are eaten as a leafy vegetable or spinach substitute, often cooked alone or mixed with other greens.
- Ritual uses
- The plant is traditionally used for spiritual cleansing, treating ailments linked to the “evil eye,” and occasionally as a natural soap substitute
- Cultivation
- It is easily propagated by cuttings, thrives in moist highland environments, and is commonly grown as a hedge or live fence around homes.
Horn-fruited jute, Wild Jute
Corchorus tridens L.
- Description
- Corchorus tridens L. is a wild, herbaceous plant belonging to the Malvaceae family, widely recognized for its edible, mucilaginous leaves and traditional medicinal applications across Africa and Asia.
- Medicinal uses
- Treats digestive problems (stomach pain, diarrhea)
Used for STIs and fever/pain
Leaves applied to wounds and burns
Has antimicrobial and antioxidant activity
- As food
- Leaves eaten as a mucilaginous vegetable in soups
Nutritious: rich in vitamins (A, C, E), proteins, minerals
Also used as animal fodder
- Cultivation
- Propagated mainly by seeds
Seeds sown at start of rainy season
Hot-water soaking improves germination
Leaves harvested 4–6 weeks after planting
Wild cucumber; Boehm's corallocarpus
Corallocarpus boehmi
- Description
- A wild trailing cucumber vine of the gourd family.
- Cultivation
- A wild vine of savanna and bushland.
Bitter Leaf
Vernonia amygdalina
- Description
- A widely used medicinal and culinary plant in Tiv culture.
- Medicinal uses
- Used to treat malaria, diabetes, and stomach ailments. The leaves are also used to cleanse the system.
- As food
- Used in soups and as a vegetable. The bitter taste is reduced by washing.
Bitter leaf; Tree vernonia
Vernonia amygdalina
- Description
- A widely used medicinal and culinary plant in Tiv culture.
- Medicinal uses
- Used to treat malaria, diabetes, and stomach ailments. The leaves are also used to cleanse the system.
- As food
- Used in soups and as a vegetable. The bitter taste is reduced by washing.
Wild mango; Bush mango; African mango; Ogbono
Irvingia gabonensis
- Description
- A forest tree grown for its mango-like fruit and, more importantly, its fat-rich seed kernels.
- Medicinal uses
- Seed extracts are studied for cholesterol and blood-sugar management; bark is used traditionally for diarrhoea and wounds.
- As food
- Kernels are dried and ground into the thickener for ogbono soup, a major Nigerian dish; the fruit pulp is also eaten.
- Cultivation
- A forest tree, increasingly cultivated in agroforestry systems for its valuable seed.
Bush mango, African mango, Wild mango
Irvingia gabonensis
- Description
- Irvingia gabonensis is a large, evergreen forest tree native to the humid lowland forests of West and Central Africa. It produces mango-like fruits with highly valued edible pulp and oil-rich seeds (kernels).
- Medicinal uses
- Various plant parts are used in African traditional medicine:
Bark: Decoctions are used for diarrhea, dysentery, gastrointestinal infections, yellow fever, and as an antidote to poisoning. Bark paste is applied to wounds and sores and used to relieve toothache.
Seeds: Used traditionally to manage diabetes and obesity by suppressing appetite.
Leaves: Used to treat fever and, when mixed with palm oil, to control hemorrhage in pregnant women.
- As food
- Ogbono (Draw) Soup: Dried and ground kernels are used as a thickener and flavoring agent in traditional soups.
Dika Bread: Processed kernels are formed into solid cakes (also called odika or Gabon chocolate) for long-term storage.
Fruit Pulp: The sweet-tangy pulp is eaten fresh or processed into juice, jam, jelly, and wine.
Edible Oil: Oil extracted from the seeds (solid at room temperature) is used for cooking.
Snack Use: Seeds may be eaten raw or roasted.
- Ritual uses
- Traditional Rituals: Bark and other plant parts are sometimes used for spiritual protection and treatment of spiritual ailments.
Cultural Significance: The tree is preserved on farms due to its importance as a staple food source, particularly for Ogbono soup.
- Cultivation
- Seed Propagation: Seeds are extracted from ripe fruits, dried for at least two days, and planted.
Seed Selection: Seeds are selected from high-yielding trees with large fruits and good pulp quality.
Vegetative Propagation: Budding, grafting, and marcotting (air-layering) are used to reduce the juvenile period, with fruiting in 3–4 years (compared to 7–10 years from seed).
Wildlings: Naturally occurring forest seedlings are commonly collected and transplanted to farms.
Oil palm; West African oil palm
Elaeis guineensis
- Description
- A tall palm and West Africa's most important oil crop, its fruit yielding both palm oil and palm kernel oil.
- Medicinal uses
- Palm oil is used as a base for topical remedies and wound dressings in traditional practice.
- As food
- Fruit pulp is pressed for red palm oil, a staple cooking oil; the kernel yields a separate oil; the sap is tapped for palm wine.
- Cultivation
- A long-lived tree beginning to bear fruit after 3-4 years and continuing for decades; central to the economy of much of West Africa.
Benghal dayflower; Tropical spiderwort
Commelina bengalensis
- Description
- A soft, creeping weed with small blue three-petaled flowers, common in gardens and cultivated land.
- Medicinal uses
- Leaves are used in parts of Africa and Asia for wound care, burns, and inflammation.
- As food
- Young leaves and shoots are eaten as a vegetable in some regions.
- Cultivation
- Spreads readily by creeping stems that root at the nodes; a persistent weed of cultivated land.
Spreading finger grass; Horizontal grass
Digitaria horizontalis
- Description
- A low-spreading annual grass, common on cultivated and disturbed ground across the tropics.
- As food
- Grazed as forage.
- Cultivation
- A common weedy grass of farmland and waste ground.
White Guinea yam; White yam; Guinea yam
Dioscorea rotundata
- Description
- A climbing vine grown for its large, white-fleshed tuber — the most widely cultivated yam species in West Africa and a cornerstone food crop.
- As food
- Boiled, pounded into pounded yam, or fried; a major starchy staple across Nigeria.
- Ritual uses
- Yam holds major ceremonial importance at New Yam harvest celebrations across Nigeria; a Tiv-specific protocol was not independently confirmed.
- Cultivation
- A staked climbing vine requiring fertile soil and a long growing season of 8-10 months.
Forest anchomanes; Savanna anchomanes
Anchomanes difformis
- Description
- A striking forest herb with a large underground rhizome and huge, spiny-stalked leaves, in the same family as taro.
- Medicinal uses
- Rhizome is used across West Africa as a diuretic, purgative, and poison antidote, and for jaundice, oedema, and urethral discharge; powdered root with palm oil treats children's respiratory illness in parts of Nigeria and DR Congo.
- Cultivation
- A wild forest and marshland herb, not cultivated.
Drumstick tree
Moringa oleifera
- Description
- A fast-growing tree valued for its highly nutritious leaves, pods, and seeds, sometimes called the "miracle tree."
- Medicinal uses
- Leaves, seeds, and bark are used across Africa for a wide range of ailments and are heavily studied for antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.
- As food
- Leaves are cooked as a vegetable or dried into powder; young pods are eaten like green beans; seeds yield an edible oil.
- Cultivation
- Extremely fast-growing and drought-tolerant; easily propagated from cuttings or seed.
African rosewood; Afrormosia; Lax afrormosia
Pericopsis laxiflora
- Description
- A savanna tree yielding a fine, teak-like timber, and widely used in West African traditional medicine.
- Medicinal uses
- Root, bark, and leaf decoctions treat stomach ailments in Côte d'Ivoire; used for shigellosis in Guinea, body pain in Ghana, and by diabetes patients in parts of Cameroon.
- Cultivation
- A savanna timber tree, usually harvested only in small dimensions.
Bottle gourd; Calabash; White-flowered gourd
Lagenaria siceraria
- Description
- A climbing vine grown for its hard-shelled fruit, used both as food when young and as a dried container when mature.
- As food
- Young fruit is cooked as a vegetable; seeds are sometimes roasted and eaten.
- Cultivation
- A vigorous climbing or trailing vine; mature fruit is dried and hollowed out for use as bottles, bowls, and musical instruments.
Bottle gourd, calabash, birdhouse gourd, opo squash
Lagenaria siceraria
- Description
- Lagenaria siceraria is a highly versatile gourd cultivated worldwide for its edible young fruits and hard-shelled mature gourds used in crafts and culture. The plant is a fast-growing, trailing vine with large night-blooming white flowers, variable-shaped fruits, and hard-shelled gourds when mature.
- Medicinal uses
- Traditionally used as a tonic, diuretic, and remedy for metabolic, digestive, and cardiovascular conditions, though bitter varieties can be toxic.
- As food
- Non-bitter fruits, shoots, leaves, and seeds are widely consumed as vegetables and snacks across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
- Ritual uses
- Dried gourds are globally important for making containers, musical instruments, and cultural symbols associated with health, music, and tradition.
- Cultivation
- The plant thrives in warm climates on fertile soils, is grown from seed on trellises or mounds, and is harvested young for food or mature for craft use.
False sesame
Ceratotheca sesamoides
- Description
- An erect, hairy annual herb (60–100 cm) with opposite, mucilaginous leaves, funnel-shaped pink/mauve/white flowers, and distinctive two-horned capsules; grows in savannahs, sandy soils, and disturbed areas, drought-resistant.
- Medicinal uses
- Leaf extracts treat diarrhea, stomach issues, eye infections, reproductive pain, and skin diseases; also used as an aphrodisiac, for jaundice, snakebites, and circumcision relief.
- As food
- Leaves and shoots eaten as a slimy leafy vegetable, used fresh or dried to thicken soups and sauces; seeds yield edible oil; often cooked with other leaves for texture.
- Ritual uses
- Used during childbirth as a lubricant, as a famine food, in shea butter production, and as a natural soap or shampoo.
- Cultivation
- Grown from seed in sunny, well-drained soils; hardy, low-maintenance; young shoots harvestable after ~6 weeks, allowing repeated harvesting; can be intercropped with cowpea, sorghum, or cassava.
Lemon grass; West Indian lemon grass
Cymbopogon citratus
- Description
- A tall tufted grass with lemon-scented leaves, widely grown for tea, cooking, and traditional medicine.
- Medicinal uses
- Leaves are brewed into a tea for fever, colds, stomach upset, and as a mild sedative.
- As food
- Used to flavor teas, soups, and stews; the tender stem base is used in cooking.
- Cultivation
- A clump-forming perennial grass, easily propagated by dividing the tussock.
Cacao; Cocoa
Theobroma cacao
- Description
- A tropical understorey tree whose seeds, fermented and dried, are the raw material for chocolate and cocoa.
- As food
- Seeds are fermented, dried, roasted, and ground into cocoa mass, the base of chocolate and cocoa beverages.
- Cultivation
- A shade-loving forest tree, grown commercially as a cash crop across humid tropical regions.
perfume tree, Macassar oil plant, and fragrant cananga
Cananga odorata
- Description
- A tall tree with drooping, intensely fragrant yellow-green flowers, the source of ylang-ylang essential oil.
- Cultivation
- A fast-growing tropical tree; flowers are steam-distilled to produce perfume oil.
Cabbage tree; Cabbage palm
Anthocleista djalonensis
- Description
- A savanna and forest-margin tree named for its large, cabbage-like rosette of leaves at the growing tip.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark, seeds, and roots are used across Nigeria and Ghana as a purgative, diuretic, and antipyretic, and to manage diabetes, malaria, jaundice, and abscesses.
- Cultivation
- A tree of savanna and forest margins.
Dead sea apple; Sodom apple; Akund
Calotropis procera
- Description
- A shrub with thick, waxy leaves and inflated seed pods, exuding a milky latex that is toxic if mishandled.
- Medicinal uses
- Used across Africa for wounds, scabies, sores, rheumatic pain, toothache, and skin fungal infections. The milky latex is toxic — not for informal use.
- Cultivation
- A hardy, drought-tolerant shrub of dry, disturbed ground and roadsides.
Afzel's ochna; Stoolwood; Ochna
Ochna afzelii
- Description
- A small tree of rocky forest outcrops, in the same family as the widely cultivated ornamental Ochna.
- Medicinal uses
- Leaves, roots, wood, and bark are used across Africa for jaundice, toothache, female infertility, menstrual complaints, and dysentery.
- Cultivation
- A small tree found on rocky forest peaks and outcrops.
Hog plum, Yellow mombin, Golden apple, Spanish plum, Gully plum, Ashanti plum.
Spondias Mombin
- Description
- Spondias mombin is a deciduous, fast-growing fruit tree in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae), highly valued in tropical regions for its edible fruit, medicinal properties, and versatility in agricultural systems. It is native to the tropical Americas and the West Indies but has become naturalized in parts of Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.
- Medicinal uses
- Leaves, bark, fruit, and roots are used in traditional medicine to treat diarrhea, dysentery, fever, wounds, postpartum hemorrhage, and infections, and for their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and sedative properties.
- As food
- The sour-sweet fruit is eaten raw, stewed, or processed into juices, jams, jellies, wine, or ice cream, while young leaves are consumed in some dishes.
- Ritual uses
- The tree’s bark and leaves are used in ceremonies, protective rituals, and amulets, while its wood serves for live fences, carving, and making soap or dye.
- Cultivation
- Spondias mombin is propagated primarily via stem cuttings, which root easily, or by seeds after treatment to break dormancy.
Wild grape; African wild grape
Ampelocissus grantii
- Description
- A wild climbing vine in the grape family, found across African savanna and woodland.
- Cultivation
- A wild climbing vine of savanna woodland.
Polished fig; Dome-crowned fig
Ficus polita
- Description
- A fig tree with distinctively smooth, glossy leaves, its rough underside traditionally used like sandpaper.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark and root infusions treat abdominal pain and diarrhoea; leaf infusion is given as a tonic to the sick; a young leaf/bud decoction treats stomach-ache.
- As food
- The fruit is edible and chewed to relieve indigestion.
- Cultivation
- A forest and woodland tree; the abrasive leaf surface is also used to polish wood and metal, and to prepare skin before applying medicine.
Stoolwood; Cheese wood; Pattern wood
Alstonia boonei
- Description
- A tall forest tree with soft, easily carved wood, known across West Africa as stoolwood or pattern wood.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark decoction is widely used for malaria, typhoid, gonorrhoea, asthma, and dysentery, and applied to sores, snakebite, and toothache.
- Cultivation
- The soft, fine-grained wood is carved into stools, toys, and spoons, and used for the sound boxes of Yoruba musical instruments; officially used for matchboxes in Nigeria.
Spirogyra; Water silk; Pond scum
Spirogyra spp
- Description
- A filamentous green algae that forms the slippery, thread-like mats known as pond scum on still or slow-moving water.
- Cultivation
- Not cultivated — grows naturally in ponds, ditches, and slow streams, often indicating nutrient-rich water.
Velvet tamarind; Black tamarind; African tamarind
Dialium guineense
- Description
- A forest tree bearing small, hard-shelled black fruit with a sweet-tart, powdery pulp, a popular roadside snack across West Africa.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark and leaves are used in traditional medicine for wound care, diarrhoea, and as an antimicrobial; the fruit is valued nutritionally.
- As food
- The fruit's tart pulp is eaten straight from the shell as a snack, or used to flavor drinks.
- Cultivation
- A slow-growing forest tree, often left standing in farmland for its valued fruit.
Sasswood; Ordeal tree; Red water tree; Sassy tree
Erythrophleum suaveolens
- Description
- A tall forest tree whose bark contains a highly toxic compound, historically used across West Africa in trial-by-ordeal poison rituals.
- Medicinal uses
- Historically used in Liberia and elsewhere for the “sassywood” trial by ordeal; also used in smaller doses as arrow poison and fish poison. Extremely toxic — not for any informal use.
- Ritual uses
- The bark's poison was central to sasswood/ordeal trials across parts of West Africa, where an accused person's survival after drinking it was taken as proof of innocence — a documented historical practice.
- Cultivation
- A tall forest timber tree; the wood itself is durable and traded commercially.
Black jack; Cobbler's pegs; Beggar ticks; Bur marigold
Bidens pilosa
- Description
- An erect weedy herb with small white-and-yellow flower heads and barbed, black, needle-like seeds that cling to clothing and fur.
- Medicinal uses
- Widely used in African folk medicine for diarrhoea, malaria, wounds, fungal infections, and inflammation; young leaves are also dried for herbal tea.
- As food
- Young shoots and leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable in parts of Africa.
- Cultivation
- A fast-spreading annual weed of farmland, roadsides, and waste ground worldwide.
Camwood; African red sandalwood; Osun
Pterocarpus osun
- Description
- A tall forest tree in the bean family, valued for its reddish heartwood, which is traded as a padouk-type timber and dye wood similar to camwood.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark and wood are a local source of tannins and traditional medicines; the powdered heartwood is also used cosmetically as a skin treatment, as with the related camwood species.
- Cultivation
- A forest tree of West and Central Africa, harvested from the wild for its valuable timber and dye-yielding heartwood.
