Eswatini's Flora - siSwati Names and Uses
Compiled by Chris Long, © December 2005
SiSwati names and uses, arranged by alphabetically by botanical name:
| Canthium umvutfwamini, umuvutfwane, | |
| ciliatum (Dwarf Turkey-berry) mvutfwamini, mvutwamira, | |
| Cultural: | Magico-medico uses. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| gilfillanii | |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| inerme (Raisin-fruited Canthium) mevane, | |
| Medicinal: | Leaves used for stomach complaints. |
| Food: | Edible fruit but insipid. |
| mundianum (Rock Alder) siluwane, sivilwane, umphatsankhosi, | |
| Timber: | Fencing posts resistant to borers and termites. |
| Household: | Good furniture and implements. |
| Food: | Edible fruit. |
| setiflorum subsp. setiflorum | |
| Food: | Raisin-like fruit is edible. |
| suberosum | |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Coffea | |
| arabica * | |
| Food: | Seeds for coffee |
| zanguebariae | |
| Food: | Seeds for coffee |
| Corallocarpus | |
| bainesii | |
| Food: | Edible fruits when ripe. Leaves and stems cooked as spinach. |
| Citrullus | |
| lanatus (Bitter Melon) beche, litjoti, | |
| Cultural: | A charm to prevent worms from damaging crops |
| Food: | Fruit is edible & a major source of water. Seeds ground to a meal. |
| Cucumis tjwalabenyoni, | |
| africanus | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal. An enema & purgative but also poisonous. |
| Food: | Vegetable. But juice can be poisonous. |
| anguria | |
| Food: | Vegetable |
| var. anguria | |
| var. longaculeatus | |
| hirsutus | |
| Medicinal: | Coughs and as purgative |
| Food: | Edible leaves & fruits. (Some say poisonous) |
| melo subsp. melo | |
| Food: | Edible fruit. |
| metuliferus | |
| Insecticidal: | Pesticidal |
| Insecticidal: | Pesticidal |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal. |
| Food: | Edible fruit & leaves |
| myriocarpus subsp. myriocarpus | |
| Food: | Fruit is toxic but can be eaten after much preparation. |
| zeyheri (Wild Cucumber) indzema, | |
| Medicinal: | Leaves & fruit medicinal for chest complaints & diarrhoea. |
| Food: | Leaves are cooked as spinach. Fruits poisonous. |
| Coccinia | |
| adoensis | |
| Food: | Edible leaves & fruit. |
| palmata (Wild Cucumber) uthangazane lwehlathi, uthangazane omncane, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal. |
| Food: | Edible leaves. Roots are a famine food. |
| rehmannii (Wild Cucumber) tjwalabetinyoni, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Food: | Edible fruit & tubers |
| Cyphia | |
| bolusii ligagajane, lugagane, | |
| Food: | Edible bulbs |
| elata lugagane, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal emetic. |
| Food: | Edible bulbs |
| var. elata | |
| var. glabra | |
| oblongifolia | |
| Food: | Edible bulbs. |
| Chromolaena | |
| odorata * (Triffid) sandanezwe, wandile, wandzile, | |
| Firewood: | Reported in countryside to be a useful fuel. Very invasive. |
| Conyza | |
| bonariensis * | |
| Food: | Flower heads eaten in Lesotho. |
| canadensis * | |
| Insecticidal: | Insect repellent. |
| Medicinal: | Herb. Astringent, diuretic, diarrhoea,colds. |
| Food: | Ground leaves used to flavor porridge. |
| scabrida | |
| Medicinal: | Early white settlers soaked leaves & used to bandage wounds. |
| ulmifolia umacakaza, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for coughs. |
| Callilepis | |
| laureola (Ox-eye Daisy) mila, | |
| Cultural: | Protective charm. |
| Medicinal: | Roots for burns & as a tonic. Also for tapeworms. Poisonous. |
| leptophylla (Ox-eye Daisy) imphila, imphilane, impila, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
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