Common Name:

General Information

Pouzolzia mixta is an erect, deciduous shrub growing from 1.5 - 3 metres tall. The stems are fibrous and softly woody, with a wide, spongy pith or hollow centre[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of various commodities, especially fibre. The plant has been cultivated, especially in fishing villages in Africa, for its fibre[, ].

Known Hazards

The plant is devoid of stinging hairs, though the hairs on the leaves can cause itching[, ].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - drier areas in Sudan, Ethiopia, Angola, Zambia and Tanzania, south to S. Africa, Madagascar; Arabia.

Habitat

Wooded grassland, especially along edges of riverine forest or on rocky outcrops, at elevations from 100 - 1,200 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	2.50 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plants are usually monoecious, but occasional dioecious forms are found[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked and used as a vegetable[]. The tender leaves are chopped and cooked with coconut milk or pounded groundnuts. They are then served with a staple food such as ugali or rice[]. The leaves are often cooked with those of Obetia tenax[].

Medicinal

The plant is widely used in African traditional medicine.

The roots are considered to be aphrodisiac and contraceptive[]. An extract or decoction is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery[]. An infusion is drunk to treat constipation, venereal diseases and female sterility[]. The powdered root is taken in a porridge as a treatment against uterine pain[].
The powdered root is inserted into the vagina as a treatment against female sterility and to prevent abortion[]. An infusion is instilled into the vagina to dilate the birth canal during labour[].
A paste of the root is applied on burns and a depressed fontanel[].
A maceration of the root and leaves is drunk to expel the placenta after childbirth[].

Adventitious roots are crushed and the jelly-like liquid obtained is used to treat burns[].

Thin strips of bark fibre have been used to stitch wounds[]. They are thought to have healing effects[].

A decoction of the stem is administered as an enema for the relief of biliousness[].

The pounded leaf is mixed with water to form a drink taken for treatment of measles[].

Other Uses

The crushed leaf is used as a substitute for soap to wash hands and clothes[].

The leaves are covered with woolly hairs and can be made to stick together. Children fashion these woolly leaves in games to make cups, baskets, hats etc[, ]. Caution should be employed, however, since these hairs on the leaves can cause itching[].

A very strong fibre obtained from the stems is used to make nets and string[, ]. The stem contains a high amount of gums, like that of ramie (Boehmeria nivea), making degumming of the fibre necessary, though experiments have shown that the fibre can be degummed fairly easily[]. The traditional method of obtaining the fibre is to scrape off the outer bark, then to dry the remaining stems in the sun. These stems are then soaked in water and partially dried, after which the white inner bark fibre can be peeled off easily. This inner bark is dried and separated into narrow strips. String is made by rolling out these strips with the palm of the hand on the thigh. The various lengths are spliced and rolled together into long skeins of string, which vary from fine to thick, according to the intended purpose[].

Propagation

Seed -

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