Gnetum africanum Welw.

A woody climber. It can be 10 m long. The branches are thickened at the nodes. It is an evergreen plant. Plants are separately male and female. The leaf stalks are 1 cm long. The leaves are narrowly oval and opposite. They are simple. They taper to a short tip. They are 10-13 cm long by 4-5 cm wide. The male flowering shoot has male flowers close together and evenly spaced. The female flowering shoots have 2-3 flowers at each node and are 2 mm long. The seeds are fleshing and 10-15 mm long by 4-8 mm wide They have a fleshy envelope around them that turned orange or red when ripe.

Understorey layer of humid tropical rainforests, mostly at the periphery of primary forest and in secondary forest. Thrives in a wide range of habitats, including farm fallows or abandoned farmland, secondary forests, and closed forest.

The young leaves are eaten raw or cooked and are also used in sauces. The leaves can be tough and can be softened with leaves such as Talinum. The leaves can be shredded and dried and stored for later use. The seeds and fruit are eaten. They can be stored for 8 months or longer.

Seeds are hard to get to grow. Germination can take 12 months. Leafy stem cuttings can be used.