A herb or undershrub to 1.30 m high, erect or decumbent of the forest zone from Senegal to S Nigeria and Fernando Po.The plant dried and powdered is applied to staunch wounds in S Nigeria as is indicated by one of the Yoruba names (2), and the fresh sap is applied to small sores (3). The plant in decoction is taken as a laxative (2). In Ivory Coast the plant is used to treat sores caused by skin-parasites, e.g. mange, ringworm and fungal infections; the sap is given as a draught to stop nausea and stomachache, and as an aphrodisiac, and is sometimes put into baths or steam-baths to treat fever stiffness and rheumatic pains (1).The Yoruba name, atakpara, means ‘I fire with a sound like “akpara”’, and is an onomatopoeic simile of the dried fruit-capsule exploding when placed in water (2).