Fully ripe fruit - raw, cooked or dried for winter use[1, 2, 3, 62, 92, 94, 257]. A staple food for several native North American Indian tribes, the fruits are large, fleshy, sweet and palatable[85, 92, 95, 183]. The ovoid fruit is about 17cm long and 7cm wide[200]. Considered to be a luxury by the native North American Indians[207], the fruits were often baked in ovens[216]. The cooked fruit can be formed into cakes and then dried for later use[257]. Large quantities of the fruit has caused diarrhoea in people who are not used to it[85]. The dried fruit can be dissolved in water to make a drink[257]. Flower buds - cooked[2, 62, 95, 183]. A soapy taste[85]. The older flowers are best[85], they are rich in sugar[94]. The flowers, harvested before the summer rains (which turn them bitter), have been used as a vegetable[257]. Flowering stems - cooked[257]. Harvested before the flowers open then roasted[257]. Seed - cooked. It can be roasted and then ground into a powder and boiled[62, 85]. The tender crowns of the plants have been roasted and eaten in times of food shortage[257]. The young leaves have been cooked as a flavouring in soups[257].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


An infusion of the pulverized leaves has been used as an antiemetic to prevent vomiting[257]. The fruits have been eaten raw as a laxative[257].

A fibre obtained from the leaves is used for making ropes, baskets and mats[21, 46, 57, 85, 92, 94, 95]. The fibre can be braided into a good quality rope[257]. The leaves can be reduced into fibre and then made into cloth[257]. To obtain the fibre, the terminal spine and a section of the back of the leaf are removed and pounded to free the fibre from the fleshy portion of the leaf[257]. Another method of obtaining the fibre was to fold the leaves into sections about 10cm long. The leaves were then boiled with a small quantity of cedar ashes. When sufficiently cooked, the leaves were placed in a bowl or basket and cooled, then youths and young women would peel off the epidermis and chew the leaves, starting at one end and finishing at the other. After chewing the leaves, the fibres were separated, straightened out and hung to dry. When required for weaving, they would first be soaked in water to soften them[257]. The whole leaf is sometimes split into sections and then tied together by square knots to make a rope[92, 257]. The leaf can be used as a paint brush[92]. Leaf slivers are used, the end being pounded to reveal the fibres[257]. The leaves have also been used to make small brushes for pottery decoration[257]. The leaf is used in basket making[216, 257]. Small roots have been used in making baskets[257]. They have been used to produce a red pattern in baskets[257]. The leaves can be split and then woven into mats[257]. The leaves can be split and used as a temporary string[257]. The leaf fibre has been braided into ropes[257]. The terminal spines have been used as needles[257]. The dried leaves have been boiled with gum, hardened, ground into a powder then mixed with water and used to make baskets waterproof[257]. The roots are rich in saponins and can be used crushed and then soaked in water to release the suds for use as a soap[21, 85, 95, 216, 257]. It makes a good hair wash[85, 94, 257] and can also be used on the body and for washing clothes[257]. A soap can also be obtained from the leaves and stems[257].

Special Uses