Menu list goes here

Herbal Database Search Results

Back to: Pathways Main Search Page For Metaphysical uses visit The Witchs Haven

Cleome gynandra

Common name:	African Spider Flower	Family:	Capparidaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Gynandropsis pentaphylla (DC.), Gynandropsis gynandra ((L.)Briq.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Tropical and Sub-Tropical zones.
Habitat:	Open areas and uncultivated land to an elevation of 300 metres in Nepal[272].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. pentaphylla[B,G,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Acaya [E], Bhoebhoewan [E], Bobowan [E], Caya [E], Feuilles Caya [E], Mahmah [E], Maman [E], Maman Hantu [E], Mamang [E], Masambey [E], Pai Hua Ts'Ai [E], Pyasya [E], Spiderwisp [B,P], Yang Chio Ts'Ai [E],
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China; Dominican Republic; Haiti; India; India(Gujarat); India(Santal); Java; Malaya; Sudan
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive.

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 1.3m. It is frost tender. It is in leaf from May to October, in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anthelmintic; Febrifuge; Rubefacient; Stings.

A decoction of the root is used to treat fevers[243, 272]. The juice of the root is used to relieve scorpion stings[272].
The leaves, applied as a poultice, are used as a vesicant and rubefacient in the treatment of rheumatism[243, 272]. The juice of the leaves is a remedy for pain in the ear[243].
The seeds are anthelmintic and rubefacient[243, 272].
The whole plant is used in the treatment of scorpion stings and snake bites[243].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a light fertile soil in a warm dry sunny position with plenty of room to spread[1, 200].
A frost tender plant, it can be grown as a summer annual in Britain[200].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow or only lightly cover the seed in spring in a greenhouse[164]. The seed usually germinates in 5 - 14 days at 25°c[164]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring. Day time temperatures below 20°c depress germination but a night time fall to 20° is necessary[164].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Gynandropsis gynandra (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Gynandropsis pentaphylla (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[243] Medicinal Plants of Nepal Dept. of Medicinal Plants. Nepal. 1993
Terse details of the medicinal properties of Nepalese plants, including cultivated species and a few imported herbs.

Readers Comments

Back to: Pathways Home page, Main Search Page Help Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Cleome+gynandra
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Cleome+gynandra

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
(You can copy, distribute, display this works but: Attribution is required, its for Non-Commercial purposes, and it's Share Alike (GNUish/copyleft) i.e. has an identical license.)
We also ask that you let us know (michael@thewitchshaven.com) if you link to, redistribute, make a derived work or do anything groovy with this information.

Home :: View Cart :: Shipping & Returns :: Contact Us :: Log In :: Privacy Policy :: Home :: Philosophy

We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.