Eswatini's Flora - siSwati Names and Uses
Compiled by Chris Long, © December 2005
SiSwati names and uses, arranged by alphabetically by botanical name:
| Euclea umdlelanyamatane, | |
| crispa subsp. crispa (Blue Guarri) inchitsamuti, indodennyama, indvodzemnyama, nyamatanemkhulu, sijele, umndlela, | |
| Firewood: | Fuelwood |
| Household: | Stools & handicrafts. Branches used for craftwork. |
| Timber: | Timber for construction |
| Dyes: | Dark brown dye from roots used for basketry. |
| Medicinal: | Roots for epilepsy & an emetic also to pevent miscarriages. Bark & leaf for diabetes. Roots for constipation in children. |
| Food: | Edible but small fruit |
| daphnoides (Magic Guarri) indvodzemnyama, | |
| divinorum (Magic Guarri) indlelanyamatane-lebovu, indvodzemnyama, sijelele, | |
| Dyes: | Bark produce a brown dye used for basketry. |
| Cultural: | Wood reputed to have supernatural powers and so never used as fuel. Branches used as good luck charm. |
| Household: | Toothbrushes made from twig ends. Furniture from wood. Branches used for craftwork. |
| Medicinal: | Roots & bark for headache, toothache & convulsions. Fruits are a purgative.Roots to prevent miscarriage & baby cleansing. |
| Food: | Edible fruits can be used for beer. Fruits are also a purgative. |
| linearis | |
| Food: | Edible sweet fruit. |
| natalensis (Hairy Guarri) inchitsamuzi, indvodzemnyama, nkunzemnyama, umchitamuzi, | |
| Dyes: | Bark produce a brown dye used for basketry. |
| Medicinal: | Powdered roots for headache & toothache. Dental care. Also for sexual stimulation. |
| Food: | Some say fruits edible some say poisonous. |
| subsp. acutifolia | |
| subsp. angustifolia | |
| subsp. natalensis | |
| polyandra | |
| schimperi (Bush Guarri) inchitsamuti, indvodzemnyama, | |
| Timber: | Hard heavy wood. Previously used for wagon wheels. |
| Firewood: | Firewood |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal. Analgesic |
| Food: | Edible fruit. |
| undulata (Common Guarri) santinyana, | |
| Timber: | Wood useful for fence posts and for joinery |
| Cultural: | Forbidden at home |
| Fodder: | Leaves as fodder for stock. |
| Medicinal: | Roots are strong purgative, used for toothache. Bark for headaches. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Evolvulus | |
| alsinoides | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Ehretia | |
| amoena (Sandpaper Bush) bungela, libhungela, umklele, | |
| Timber: | Fence posts. |
| Household: | Pestles for grinding grain. Handicrafts. |
| Medicinal: | Roots used for vomiting. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| rigida subsp. nervifolia (Puzzle Bush) bhungela, bhungele, umcele, umklele, umxele, | |
| Cultural: | Good luck charm. Protection from hailstorms and many other uses. Good luck for hunters. |
| Fodder: | Useful fodder for game and stock. |
| Household: | Wood used for fishing baskets, pestles and spear shafts. |
| Medicinal: | Powdered roots on skin cuts to relieve pain & also for toothache. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Ethulia | |
| conyzoides subsp. conyzoides * (Blue Weed) umsokosoko, | |
| Honey: | A honey plant. |
| Medicinal: | Treats colic, intestinal parasites & madness. |
| Eclipta | |
| prostrata * (Eclipta) ungcolosi, | |
| Cultural: | An annual weed used for love charms and sorcery. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for skin infections & hepatitis. |
| Equisetum | |
| ramosissimum | |
| Cultural: | A charm to drive caterpillars from maize fields. |
| Medicinal: | Cooked rhizomes enhance fertility in women. Poisonous properties. |
| Echinochloa | |
| colona | |
| Fodder: | Fodder |
| Food: | Cereal food |
| crus-galli | |
| Food: | Cereal food |
| holubii | |
| Fodder: | Grazing |
| pyramidalis | |
| Fodder: | Natural or cultivated pasture. |
| Food: | Cereal food. |
| stagnina | |
| Food: | Edible grain. A famine food. |
| Eragrostis tjani, umsingitane, | |
| aethiopica (Bush Asparagus) umsungutane, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal. Antibiotic |
| aspera | |
| barbinodis | |
| Fodder: | Forage grass. |
| barrelieri * | |
| caesia | |
| capensis | |
| Soil Conservation: | Erosion control |
| Fodder: | Early spring pasture. |
| chapelieri | |
| Soil Conservation: | Erosion control |
| chloromelas | |
| Fodder: | Reasonably good pasture. |
| Food: | Edible grain perhaps a famine food. |
| cilianensis | |
| Soil Conservation: | Erosion control |
| Food: | Making bread & beer. Cereal food |
| ciliaris | |
| Fodder: | Pasture |
| comptonii | |
| curvula | |
| Soil Conservation: | Erosion control |
| Fodder: | Cultivated pasture and fodder. |
| Food: | Making bread & beer. Cereal food |
| cylindriflora | |
| desolata | |
| gummiflua | |
| Household: | Domestic use. Brooms. |
| heteromera | |
| Fodder: | Average pasture. |
| hierniana | |
| Soil Conservation: | Erosion control |
| inamoena | |
| lappula | |
| Fodder: | Palatable pasture & fodder |
| micrantha | |
| patens | |
| Fodder: | Sign of overgrazing |
| patentipilosa | |
| patentissima | |
| pilosa * | |
| plana | |
| Soil Conservation: | Erosion control |
| Fodder: | Autumn pasture. |
| Household: | Handicrafts, hats, necklaces, & bangles. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal in Lesotho |
| Food: | Making bread & beer |
| planiculmis | |
| racemosa | |
| Soil Conservation: | Erosion control |
| rigidior | |
| Fodder: | Fodder & grazing. |
| rotifer | |
| Fodder: | Fodder & grazing. |
| sclerantha | |
| subsp. sclerantha | |
| subsp. villosipes | |
| superba | |
| Soil Conservation: | Erosion control |
| Fodder: | Palatable and drought resistant pasture. Good hay. |
| tenuifolia | |
| trichophora | |
| viscosa | |
| Eustachys | |
| paspaloides | |
| Fodder: | Fodder & grazing. |
| Eleusine | |
| coracana subsp. africana (African Finger Millet) umnyawothy, unyawothu, | |
| coracana subsp. africana | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for leprosy and liver diseases. |
| Food: | Edible grain for porridge or beer. A commercial crop or famine food.G1096 |
| indica | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal cough remedy |
| Food: | Edible grain. Perhaps a famine food. Maybe poisonous to stock. |
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