Wortclub
Commicarpus plumbagineus
Photographed growing within a hedgerow in Moshi, Tanzania. December 2013.
VINE: Long, slender herbaceous stems scramble up through other shrubs reaching two or more meters in length.
The basal portions are woody.
FLOWERS: The flowers are arranged in umbels of five to twelve or more flowers. The flowers are pale white and tubular
and attract butterflies.
LEAVES: The broad, opposite leaves are elliptic to orbicular. The stem where they attach is slightly enlarged.
RANGE: Several species of wortclub are distributed across different habitats in Kenya.
FRUIT: The club-shaped fruits have wort-like projections on the distal third - these can produce sticky material that will adhere to clothing or animals. Several seeds inside each dry capsule.
UNARMED.