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Coccinia abyssinica is a perennial climbing gourd from the Ethiopian highlands, grown mainly for its starchy tuber (anchote) and cooked leaves. It needs well-drained soil, a warm sunny spot, and a sturdy support to climb on.
Coccinia abyssinica is an Ethiopian species of Coccinia which was first described by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. The tuber is under its Oromo name anchote a well-known local crop, but also the leaves are eaten.
Widespread in the highlands of Ethiopia between 1300 and 2800 m.
Coccinia abyssinica tubers are an important staple crop in the Ethiopian highlands. The tubers are rich in starch and are cooked. Also the young shoots and the leaves are cooked and eaten around Dembi Dolo, Oromia State. There are also beliefs about medical use, but none is scientifically verified so far. The relatively high content of calcium might be the reason for the local belief that eating C. abyssinica helps against fractured bones. The edibility of the fruits is disputed, eventually, there are different races.
Coccinia grandiflora · Ivy gourd · Coccinia intermedia · Coccinia pwaniensis · Sessile-leaved cucumber · Bushpumpkins
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Coccinia abyssinica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
