Cladostigma hildebrandtioides (PROTA)

Plant Resources of Tropical Africa Introduction

List of species

General importance
Geographic coverage Africa
Geographic coverage World
Medicinal
Forage / feed

Cladostigma hildebrandtioides Hall. f.

distribution in Africa (wild)

Protologue: Bull. Herb. Boissier 7: 63 (1899).

Family: Convolvulaceae

Origin and geographic distribution

Cladostigma hildebrandtioides occurs in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.

Uses

In Kenya the Rendille people peel the root and soak it in water or milk, or add it to soup, and drink it as an emetic and laxative to treat fever, including malaria.

The plants are well-liked as a fodder for all cattle.

Description

Shrubby perennial up to 2(–3) m tall, sometimes remaining 60 cm tall; branches glabrous in older plants, silvery short-hairy in young ones. Leaves alternate, 2–4 together or sometimes alone, simple and entire, short-hairy on both sides with T-shaped adpressed hairs, more dense below; petiole 0–5 mm long; blade elliptical or obovate, 8–45 mm × 2.5–15 mm, apex obtuse, acute to retuse, base rounded to cuneate, pinnately veined with 2–3(–5) lateral veins, more evident beneath. Male inflorescence a small axillary cyme or panicle, 4–7-flowered, or flowers solitary; female flowers axillary, solitary or 2–3 together; peduncle 0–1 mm long; bracts lanceolate, c. 2 mm long. Flowers unisexual, regular, (4–)5-merous; pedicel of male flower 2.5–8 mm long, of female flower 7–10 mm long extending to 10–16 mm in fruit; sepals slightly unequal, oblanceolate to obovate or clawed, male sepals 2.5–3.5 mm long, female sepals 5–6 mm long; corolla white to yellowish, 5-lobed, 7–8 mm long in male flowers, c. 6 mm long in female flowers; male flowers with 5 equal stamens, filaments 4.5–6.5 mm long; pistillode with 2 styles 6–8 mm long; female flowers with stamens lacking anthers, ovary superior, 2-celled, styles 2, c. 2.5 mm long, stigma U-shaped, with small lobes. Capsule almost globular, small, opening by 2 valves, 2-seeded. Seeds ovate, 2.5–3 mm × 2.5 mm, orange turning brown, warty.

Other botanical information

Cladostigma comprises 3 species, and is restricted to north-eastern and East Africa; one species also occurs in Yemen.

Ecology

Cladostigma hildebrandtioides occurs in open Acacia-Commiphora-Boswellia-Lannea-Combretum-Terminalia bushland with scattered trees, on red loamy or sandy soil or on a mixture of marble and gypsum, at 300–1850 m altitude.

Propagation and planting

Cladostigma hildebrandtioides is propagated by seed.

Genetic resources and breeding

Cladostigma hildebrandtioides has a rather restricted distribution area, but there are no signs that it is overharvested or rare.

Prospects

Of Cladostigma hildebrandtioides only few medicinal uses are known. Because of the emetic properties of the roots, it can be concluded that they probably contain toxic compounds. This is the case for other Convolvulaceae as well.

Major references

• Demissew Sebsebe, 1996. The genus Cladostigma (Convolvulaceae). Kew Bulletin 51(2): 405–411.
• Heine, B. & Heine, I., 1988. Plant concepts and plant use; an ethnobotanical survey of the semi-arid and arid lands of East Africa. Part 3. Rendille plants (Kenya). Cologne Development Studies 8. Breitenbach, Saarbrücken, Germany. 120 pp.
• Verdcourt, B., 1963. Convolvulaceae. In: Hubbard, C.E. & Milne-Redhead, E. (Editors). Flora of Tropical East Africa. Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, London, United Kingdom. 161 pp.

Other references

• Sebsebe Demissew, 2006. Convolvulaceae. In: Hedberg, I., Ensermu Kelbessa, Edwards, S., Sebsebe Demissew & Persson, E. (Editors). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Volume 5. Gentianaceae to Cyclocheilaceae. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Department of Systematic Botany, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. pp. 161–231.

Author(s)

• G.H. Schmelzer, PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands

Correct citation of this article

Schmelzer, G.H., 2013. Cladostigma hildebrandtioides Hall.f. In: Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). Prota 11(2): Medicinal plants/Plantes médicinales 2. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. Accessed 6 March 2025.

• See this page on the Prota4U database.