The Giving Garden – Rethinking the food-medicine continuum in the urban sprawl

OCT 28, 2024

Crop of the month: uMondi

This #CropOfTheMonth focuses on uMondi (Mondia whiteii), a perennial woody vine with an extensive range across tropical and subtropical Africa. The species is harvested for multiple uses and, despite its wide range, is under significant pressure. In South Africa Mondia whiteii is classed as Endangered on the SANBI Red List due to extensive declines in monitored populations and land use change for agriculture and urban expansion (Williams et. al., 2022).

In our experience uMondi is incredibly easy to grow, both from seeds and from cuttings. The species is not self-fertile and so at least two different clones will be needed for seed production. Seeds are produced in horned pods which open in September after spending winter on the vines. They have thistledown for wind dispersal, and it pays to collect them just as the pods start to dry but before they open up. Germination rates are high and the growth of the seedlings rapid. The seedlings planted at our Future Africa campus ascended three stories up a trellis in their first season.

Both the roots and the bark of uMondi contain a mix of compounds  similar to those in cinnamon and vanilla which give them a pleasant aroma. It’s these compounds that are central to its use as a spice and a component in traditional medicine. While the harvesting of the tuberous roots typically kills the plants due to the removal of excessive portions of root material, we have found that the bark regenerates fairly quickly and can be continually harvested in strips in much the same fashion as cinnamon bark is harvested. The dried bark has multiple culinary applications, and is the subject of many of our collaborations with the Department of Consumer and Food Sciences. In June earlier this year, the dried bark was used to flavour ice-cream in the desert course of our Indigenous and Orphan Crops Banquet. The bark can either be ground down to a powder or left as whole strips, similar to how cinnamon powder and bark rolls are used respectively. The dried bark can also be infused in a neutral spirit such as white rum for both drinking and cooking purposes.

Freshly harvested bark

As a horticultural subject the plant is remarkably attractive. The leaves are large and decorative and the flowers a deep red to maroon, although yellow clones are known to exist. The vine is neat and binds closely to a support and is easily shaped through pruning, making it perfect for covering green facades or pagodas.

uMondi growing on the fire escape of the Mineral Sciences Building at the University of Pretoria’s Hatfield Campus

In an effort to make the species more accessible to growers, we have been actively collecting seed from our mature specimens and rooting cuttings of selected clones. If you are interested in growing this unique, endangered species please contact us at the Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden.

Richard Hay

Curator: Future Africa Indigenous and Orphan Crops Collection, Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden, University of Pretoria

BotSoc Conservation Project Coordinator, Northern Region

richard.hay@up.ac.za or north@botanicalsociety.org.za

Jason Sampson

Head Curator: Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden, University of Pretoria

jason.sampson@up.ac.za

References:

Williams, V.L., Raimondo, D., Crouch, N.R., Cunningham, A.B., Scott-Shaw, C.R., Lötter, M. & Ngwenya, A.M. 2022. Mondia whitei (Hook.f.) Skeels. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version. Accessed on 2024/10/01