Adenia is a genus of flowering plants in the passionflower family, Passifloraceae. It is distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics. The centers of diversity are in Madagascar, eastern and western tropical Africa, and Southeast Asia. The genus name Adenia comes from "aden", reported as the Arabic name for the plant by Peter Forsskål, the author of the genus.
Acokanthera is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It comprises 5 species and is generally restricted to Africa, although Acokanthera schimperi also occurs in Yemen. Its sap contains the deadly cardiotoxic glycoside ouabain. The sap is among the most commonly used in arrow poisons, including those used for poaching elephant.
Cocculus is a genus of 11 species of woody vines and shrubs, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of North America, Asia and Africa. The common name moonseed is also used for the closely related genus Menispermum. The related Indian berry is known as "Cocculus Indicus" in pharmacology.
Abelmoschus caillei, the West African okra, is a plant species in the family Malvaceae. It occurs in humid areas of West and Central Africa, where it is used as a vegetable. It originated as an allopolyploid hybrid of Abelmoschus esculentus and A. manihot, and is often mistaken for either of those two plants. It was officially described elevated to the status of a species in 1988. The same hybrid was produced experimentally in Japan where it is known as Abelmoschus glutino-textile.
Gomphocarpus physocarpus, commonly known as hairy balls, balloonplant, balloon cotton-bush, bishop's balls, nailhead, or swan plant, is a species of milkweed. The plant is native to southeast Africa, but it has been widely naturalized. It is often used as an ornamental plant.
Plant Resources of Tropical Africa, known by its acronym PROTA, is an international programme concerned with making scientific information about utility plants accessible in Africa, supporting their sustainable use to reduce poverty.
Acalypha bipartita is a species in the botanical family Euphorbiaceae. It occurs widely in Africa where it is eaten as a vegetable, or fed to animals. The leaves are considered nutritious, as they contain a high concentration of calcium. It is often found as undergrowth in the forest, on the edges of the forest, and in wooded grasslands, particularly in Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, eastern Zaire, Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The stems are often used in making baskets.
Barleria obtusa, the bush violet, occurs naturally along forest margins in the summer rainfall region of South Africa. It is widely cultivated as a decorative garden shrub.
Bidens pilosa is an annual species of herbaceous flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. Its many common names include black-jack, beggarticks, farmer’s friends and Spanish needle, but most commonly referred to as cobblers pegs. It is native to the Americas but is widely distributed as an introduced species in other regions worldwide including Eurasia, Africa, Australia, South America and the Pacific Islands.
Acanthosicyos naudinianus, known as the Gemsbok cucumber, is a perennial African melon with edible fruits and seeds. The leaves are typically deeply palmately 5-lobed and alternately arranged, while the stem may reach 6 meters long. The stems feature tendrils which have been modified into weak spines.
Acokanthera schimperi, belonging to the family Apocynaceae, is a small tree native to eastern and central Africa as well as to Yemen.
Begonia sutherlandii, known as the Sutherland begonia and as iwozya in Kimalila, Tanzania, is a tuberous flowering perennial plant in the family Begoniaceae, growing to 0.5 metres (20 in) with fleshy pink stems from 10 to 80 centimetres long. Leaves are commonly dark green and veined with red and covered with short hairs on the underside. They are asymmetrical in shape and the margin is toothed. Flowers, produced in pendent panicles throughout summer, are 20–26 millimetres (0.8–1.0 in) in diameter, and are usually orange or orange–red with yellow anthers.
Acalypha indica is an herbaceous annual that has catkin-like inflorescences with cup-shaped involucres surrounding the minute flowers. It is mainly known for its root being attractive to domestic cats, and for its various medicinal uses. It occurs throughout the Tropics.
Adenium boehmianum, the Bushman poison, is a poisonous succulent endemic to the mostly dry regions of northern Namibia and southern Angola. The San people boil the root sap and latex to prepare arrow poison, which is sufficient for hunting large mammals, as it contains strong cardiotoxic effects. The leaves, borne only for three months a year, are arranged spirally and are clustered near the branch tips. A plant will flower for only a few weeks in winter. The oblong fruit releases many seeds through a longitudinal slit, which due to their lateral tufts, can be dispersed by wind.
Acalypha ciliata is a species in the botanical family Euphorbiaceae. It occurs widely in Africa where it is eaten as a vegetable, or fed to animals. In West Africa and East Africa it is used as a medicinal plant.
Acalypha integrifolia is a species of flowering plant in the botanical family Euphorbiaceae. It is locally used as a medicinal plant. Leaf decoctions are drunk to treat intestinal worms.
Acalypha ornata is a species in the botanical family Euphorbiaceae. In Africa it is widely used as a medicinal plant. The stems are used as fibres for weaving baskets. The leaves are eaten as a vegetable; the plants are also fed to domestic animals. Acalypha ornata is sometimes planted as an ornamental plant.
Acalypha psilostachya is a species in the botanical family Euphorbiaceae. In East Africa it is used as a medicinal plant.
Acalypha villicaulis is a species in the botanical family Euphorbiaceae. In tropical Africa it is widely used as a medicinal plant.
Adenia globosa is a species of flowering plant in the passionflower family, Passifloraceae. It is native to tropical Africa, where it occurs in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. It is known as mpaga in Swahili.
