Eswatini's Flora - siSwati Names and Uses
Compiled by Chris Long, © December 2005
SiSwati names and uses, arranged by alphabetically by botanical name:
| Ozoroa imfuce, | |
| engleri (White Resin Tree) imfuce-lemhlophe, | |
| Household: | Necklaces. Ground fruit used as hair dressing. |
| Medicinal: | Leaves, bark & roots medicinal. Bark for steaming & inhaling. |
| Food: | Edible fruits. |
| insignis subsp. reticulata (Resin Tree) sifeze, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Food: | Fruits eaten in Malawi and Zimbabwe. |
| paniculosa var. paniculosa | |
| Household: | Necklaces. Fruit used as apron dye by Zulus. |
| sphaerocarpa (Bastard Currant Tree) imfuce-lemnyama, | |
| Household: | Necklaces |
| Medicinal: | Leaves, roots & bark are medicinal. Bark for high blood pressure. |
| Food: | Edible fruits. |
| Ochna mahlanganisa, | |
| arborea (Cape Plane Tree) sifubasenkhala, | |
| Cultural: | Protective charm to drive off evil spirits. |
| Household: | Implement handles and carved sticks |
| Medicinal: | Splints for bone fractures. Bark as snuff to cure headaches. |
| var. arborea | |
| var. oconnorii | |
| gamostigmata | |
| Medicinal: | Splints for bones fractures. |
| holstii (Red Ironwood) isibhanku, umshelele, umthelelo, | |
| Medicinal: | Bark medicinal. |
| natalitia (Natal Plane) lincedza, sifubasenkhala, umhlabelo, umvuma, | |
| Medicinal: | Splints for bones fractures. Roots medicinal for sterility. |
| serrulata (Carnival Bush) sifubasenkhala, umvuma, | |
| Medicinal: | Splints for bones fractures. Root decoction for children with bone disease. |
| Oncoba | |
| spinosa (Snuff-box Tree) umtfongwane, umtongwane, | |
| Cultural: | Incwala ceremonies. Penis covers under traditional attire. |
| Household: | Hard-shelled fruit used for snuff boxes, rattles, armlets, anklets & protective penis covers. |
| Medicinal: | Roots for dysentary & bladder |
| Food: | Edible fruit pulp but unpleasant taste. Seeds yield an edible oil. |
| subsp. sidamensis | |
| subsp. spinosa | |
| Opuntia lidolofiya, sidolofiya, | |
| aurantiaca * | |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| ficus-indica * (Sweet Prickly Pear) damtiligi, | |
| Medicinal: | Flowers & fruit are astringent for intestinal disorders. |
| Food: | Edible fruit. Commercial varieties with spineless fruit are a delicacy. |
| humifusa * | |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| monacantha * | |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| stricta * | |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Oenothera | |
| biennis * | |
| Medicinal: | Roots strenghten muscles. Seed oil lowers cholestrol & blood pressure. |
| Food: | Nutritional supplement |
| Olea umncuma, | |
| capensis subsp. macrocarpa (Black Ironwood) isitimane, | |
| capensis (Rock Ironwood) sinhletje, sitimane, | |
| Timber: | Wood while difficult to work is widely used. |
| Fodder: | Forage |
| Firewood: | Firewood |
| Household: | Sticks. Can produce beautiful furniture. |
| Medicinal: | Bark used to treat indigestion. |
| Food: | Edible fruit. Subsp. macrocarpa can bear up to 10,000 fruits. |
| subsp. capensis | |
| subsp. enervis | |
| subsp. macrocarpa | |
| europaea subsp. africana (African Olive) umnquma, | |
| woodiana (Forest Olive) manyatsi, | |
| Timber: | Hard "steel-like" wood. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Orbea tililo lomncane, | |
| carnosa subsp. keithii | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Food: | Whole plant said to be edible, below ground parts are less bitter. |
| gerstneri subsp. gerstneri | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| paradoxa | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| rogersii | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| ubomboensis | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Ocimum | |
| americanum var. americanum | |
| Insecticidal: | Aromatic & pesticidal. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal panacea. Aromatic. |
| Oldenlandia magisawu lomhlophe, | |
| affinis subsp. fugax | |
| cephalotes | |
| corymbosa var. caespitosa | |
| herbacea | |
| var. flaccida | |
| var. herbacea | |
| muscosa | |
| rosulata | |
| var. rosulata | |
| rupicola | |
| var. hirtula | |
| var. rupicola | |
| tenella | |
| Oxyanthus | |
| pyriformis subsp. pyriformis (Natal Loquat) mgungununu, umgungununu, umphala, | |
| speciosus subsp. gerrardii (Wild Loquat) mgungununu, umgungununu, umphala, | |
| Household: | Slender branches make whipsticks |
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