[3][4] A familiar plant to humans, it has an extremely long list of common names in many African languages.

[5] Some of the names can be translated as pineapple of the bush (from Anyi), duiker's kolanut (from Igala), and crown of the ground (from Yoruba).

[5] It can often be found in plantations, where it parasitizes such crop trees as Hevea brasiliensis (rubber), Phoenix dactylifera (date), and Theobroma cacao (cocoa).

This could be an example of mutualism; as the fly pollinates the plant, it provides a site for egg-laying and nutrition for the larvae.

[5] It is used for leprosy, skin infections and abscesses, dental caries, gingivitis, and heart disease.

[5] The other uses for the plant include as an ingredient in the poison applied to hunting arrows by peoples of Côte d'Ivoire.

[5] In Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, the spiky flower heads are tied to the ankles of toddlers to encourage them to learn to walk; the spikes keep them from sitting down.