Adenia fruticosa subsp. fruticosa

Adenia fruticosa subsp. fruticosa, the Sekhukhune greenstem or in Afrikaans bobbejaangif (baboon poison), is a climbing undershrub with a prominent club-shaped, woody base. It is usually a shrub of 1,5 m, occasionally a tree of 6 m (SA Tree List No. 512.5).

The main stem is thickset, soft and trunk-like with green, yellow-green or grey bark that has a smooth surface. It may branch, every stem tapering quickly, reaching a maximum diameter of 50 cm to 1 m near the base. A profusion of scandent, slender branches, up to 5 m in length with ribbed or smooth surfaces and sporadic tendrils grows from the stem. The tendrils vary from 3 cm to 12 cm in length. They sometimes break off, leaving a persistent thorn-like spine.

The leaves are simple or have three to five leaflets. The leaf or leaflet is blue-green or pale green, obovate to round with a rounded tip and tapering base that has a short or no petiolule. The leaflet margins are entire, the blade surface smooth and hairless with a thin, waxy texture. A small gland is found at the leaflet base. A few pairs of forward curving, lateral veins ascend from the midrib. Leaflet dimensions are 4 cm by 3,5 cm (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002).