Telfairia pedata Hook.

Liane with fleshy roots.. Stems herbaceous, ribbed, glabrous, climbing to 30 m. or more, perennial, becoming thickened and woody when old.. Leaves petiolate, 5–7 foliolate; median leaflet broadly lanceolate or elliptic, acuminate, acute, narrowed into the petiole, obscurely sinuate-toothed, glabrous or with sparse scattered hairs especially on the main nerves, penni-nerved, 55–130 mm. long, 20–60 mm. broad; lateral leaflets similar, relatively broader and occasionally lobed on the outer side at the base; petiolules up to 65 mm. long; petiole 90–100 mm. long, like the petiolules glabrous or ± short-hairy.. Probracts 3–20 mm. long, stalk-like below, spathulate and hooded above.. Male flowers in 58–230 mm. long racemes; bracts 5–10 mm. long and broad, pubescent, adnate to the pedicels below, expanded and toothed above; pedicels 5–30 mm. long; receptacle-tube campanulate, pubescent outside, ± 5 mm. long; lobes triangular-acuminate, pubescent, coarsely toothed, ± 16 mm. long; petals obovate-cuneate, ± 20 mm. long, crinkly, pinkish-purple, green-striped near the base; stamens 5 or 3.. Female flowers with stalks 65–140 mm. long; ovary green, cylindrical, ± 60 × 15 mm., with an expanded basal collar ± 25 mm. across, 10-ribbed, pubescent; receptacle-tube very short; lobes dentiform, ± 2 mm. long, entire; petals larger than those of ♂ flower, otherwise similar.. Fruit green, ellipsoid with a lobed expanded base, bluntly 10-ribbed, 320–450 mm. long and 160–250 mm. across or even larger, dehiscent apically.. Seeds very many, broader than long, ± 35 × 40 × 13 mm., each enclosed in a persistent densely reticulate endocarpic fibrous sheath obscuring the faintly verrucose true testa.. Fig. 1/1–6.

It is a tropical plant. It cannot tolerate frost when young. In Malawi it is cultivated at about 1,200 m altitude. It can grow from sea level to 2,000 m altitude.

The seeds are usually roasted and eaten. They can be eaten raw. They are a substitute for almonds in confectionary. They can also be pressed for oil, which is edible if the shells have been removed. The leaves and young shoots are commonly eaten as a pot herb.

Plants are easily grown from fresh seed. Seed germinate in a week. The soft ripe fruit falls from the plant and bursts releasing the nuts. There are 100-400 seeds per fruit.