Eswatini's Flora - siSwati Names and Uses
Compiled by Chris Long, © December 2005
SiSwati names and uses, arranged by alphabetically by botanical name:
| Adenia | |
| digitata (Baboon Poison) liphobobo, | |
| Medicinal: | Plant used to treat sores. |
| Food: | Edible leaves. Fruit & tubers very poisonous. |
| gummifera var. gummifera (Snake Climber) imfulo, imphinda, impinda, phindumshaye, | |
| Medicinal: | Trunk, roots and bark are medicinal as an emetic, for leprosy, for malaria, & for vomiting. Also a disinfectant. |
| Food: | Listed as a vegetable by some but the thick green stem is very poisonous. |
| hastata | |
| Food: | Edible fruit but similar to poisonous species so care needed. |
| var. glandulifera | |
| var. hastata | |
| Antherotoma sichobochobo, | |
| debilis | |
| Medicinal: | Roots are medicinal. |
| naudinii | |
| Medicinal: | Roots are medicinal. |
| phaeotricha | |
| Alepidea | |
| amatymbica (Giant Alepidea) inkhatsankhatsa, likhatsato, | |
| Cultural: | Smoking to connect with ancestors & divining. Wash divining bones. |
| Medicinal: | Snuff for headaches, colds, coughs & rheumatism. Used for adominal pains in Zimbabwe. |
| var. amatymbica | |
| var. aquatica | |
| attenuata (Kalmus) likhatsato, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| gracilis (Kalmus) likhatsato, likhatsatwana, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| longifolia (Kalmus) cocwane, likhatsato, likhokhwane, linjata, | |
| Food: | Edible leaves when young. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| var. angusta | |
| var. longifolia | |
| parva (Kalmus) likhatsato, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| setifera (Kalmus) likhatsatwana, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Azima | |
| tetracantha (Needle Bush) ligumkelii, sikhumekele, umvusankunzi, | |
| Medicinal: | Sap is disinfectant for toothache. Leaves & roots snake bite antidote and for totthache. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Anthocleista | |
| grandiflora (Forest Fever Tree) luvinga, luvungu, umhhobohhobo, umhobohobo, umkhobhohhobho, | |
| Medicinal: | Leaves or bark for malaria. Bark relieves diarrhoea. Bark & roots treat stomach cramps. |
| Food: | Tea made from the bitter tasting leaves. |
| Acokanthera | |
| oppositifolia (Bushman's Poison) inhlanguyane, inhlungunyemba, luzekwa, mutsimulisa, sibhanku, umhlakahliso, | |
| Insecticidal: | Snake deterrent. |
| Medicinal: | All parts of plant poisonous. Roots & bark with other ingredients used for arrow poison. But used for irregular menstruation & snakebite cure. With related species is a source of ouabain heart medicine. Doses carefully adapted to individula needs by heal |
| Food: | Poisonous fruit reportedly eaten by some people in some places. May be less poisonous in some areas when fully ripened. |
| rotundata (Round-leaved Poison Bush) inhlungunyemba, | |
| Food: | Poisonous but ripe fruits said to be edible but bitter. |
| Adenium sisilasemphala, | |
| multiflorum | |
| Fodder: | Fodder. Browsed by game, goats & cattle but can be poisonous. |
| Insecticidal: | Used as fish poison and on arrow-heads. |
| Medicinal: | Poisonous but has medicinal applications as a male aphrodisiac. |
| swazicum | |
| Aspidoglossum | |
| araneiferum | |
| Food: | Edible roots |
| interruptum | |
| Food: | Edible roots. |
| Asclepias coyane, umdzayi, umdzayana, sidzayi, undzayi, inkhokabovu, | |
| adscendens | |
| Food: | Edible leaves & fruit |
| albens (Cartwheels) umdzayi, | |
| Medicinal: | Roots for bilharzia, pimples, headches and healing wounds. |
| Food: | Edible leaves. Cooked like spinach. |
| aurea | |
| Medicinal: | Emetic. |
| Food: | Edible rootstock. Edible leaves |
| brevicuspis | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| californica | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| compressidens | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| crassinervis | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| crispa var. plana | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| Medicinal: | Roots as diuretic & purgative |
| cucullata | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| subsp. cucullata | |
| cultriformis | |
| Cultural: | Smoked wood bundles ward off lightning |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| densiflora | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| dissona | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| dregeana (Button Heads) inkhokhabovu, lichogina, | |
| Medicinal: | For dogs that steal food |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| var. calceola | |
| var. dregeana | |
| eminens | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| expansa | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| fallax | |
| Food: | Edible leaves when well-cooked. |
| gibba var. gibba | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for snakebite. |
| Food: | Edible roots, leaves & flowers. |
| meliodora | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| meyeriana | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| schlechteri | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| stellifera | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| woodii liphoti, | |
| Food: | Fruits eaten in small quantities by Swazis. |
| Anchusa | |
| capensis | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
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