The wild forms of both species are found in eastern Nigeria and in Cameroon. Noog, Guizotia abyssinica Cass. It is much kinder to the grower than safflower, lacking spines and the crop would be easy to mechanize. Extensive trials on noog have not been conducted. Telfairia occidentalis Hook.
Oil is extracted from the seeds.
It is a garden plant of West Africa and is grown from the broadleaved savanna into the forest zone. While we have plenty of oil seed crops, there could well be a place for this plant in tropical subsistence agriculture outside of Africa. I have seen it, for example, in Jamaica. A serious study might reveal some potentially useful vegetables. Africa has, of course, wild races of coffee, sorghum, the millets, rice, cotton, cowpea, cola, and watermelon.