A herb up to 1.80 m high, of two subspecies, lanceolatum scabrid, geometricum (Bak. & Wright) Brand pilose, the former from Liberia to W Cameroons and widespread in the Old World tropics and subtropics, the latter from W Cameroons and in Central and E Africa.In S Nigeria the plant is recorded used in soup (4). In Kenya ssp. geometricum is grazed by all domestic stock (1). In S Africa the plant is considered diaphoretic and expectorant. The Basuto apply the crushed plant to wounds as a plaster (5) and the plant is made into a colic-medicine for children (2, 5). The roots of ssp. lanceolatum are used in Zaïre for treatment of eye-troubles, and the plant of ssp. geometricum as a vermifuge against Taenia (3).Tests for bitters, alkaloid, volatile oil, hydrocyanic acid, saponin and triterpenoids have given negative results (5).