Eswatini's Flora - siSwati Names and Uses
Compiled by Chris Long, © December 2005
SiSwati names and uses, arranged by alphabetically by botanical name:
| Passerina | |
| filiformis subsp. filiformis (Brown Gonna) unwele oluncane, | |
| Firewood: | Fuelwood. |
| Household: | Very strong fibre from bark. |
| Medicinal: | Early white settlers soaked leaves & used to bandage wounds. |
| montana | |
| Firewood: | Very flammable firewood. |
| Psidium | |
| guajava * (Guava) emagwava, ligwava, mguwa, mkguwa, mkhiwa, ugwava, umgwava, | |
| Household: | Very hard wood used in Caribbean for spinning tops. |
| Medicinal: | Leaves for fever, coughs, boils, diabetes & menorrhagia. Stem and bark for stomach ache. |
| Food: | Edible fruits. Source of vitamin C. Source of infestation of fruit flies. |
| Pimpinella | |
| caffra | |
| Food: | Leaves cooked and eaten. |
| Peucedanum | |
| caffrum (Wild Parsley) isingcina, nhlashane, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for darrhoea. |
| capense var. capense | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| magalismontanum (Wild Carrot) sibhadze, | |
| Food: | Edible leaves & shoots. |
| upingtoniae | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Pastinaca | |
| sativa * | |
| Medicinal: | Root & fruit are diuretic & carminative. |
| Food: | Edible root |
| Plumbago | |
| auriculata (Cape Leadwort) umasheleshele, umasweliisweli, umatshwilitshwili, | |
| Cultural: | Protective charm and emetic to dispel bad dreams. |
| Medicinal: | Root & leaf remedies for headaches, wounds & to remove warts. |
| Food: | Edible flowers used as cake decorations and in salads. |
| zeylanica | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Pachypodium | |
| saundersii (Impala Lily) ligubaguba, nukankhulu wemanyeva, sisilasemphala, | |
| Medicinal: | Bulb used for toothache |
| Pachycarpus indzema, | |
| appendiculatus (Soccerball Pachycarpus) lichogina, | |
| Cultural: | For dogs that steal food |
| asperifolius (Large Red Milkwort) ishongwe elibomvu, ishongwe elincane, | |
| Cultural: | Charm against evil |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for hysteria, stomach complasints, headaches |
| campanulatus | |
| Food: | Roots are a famine food for Zulus. |
| var. campanulatus | |
| var. sutherlandii | |
| concolor (Astral Pachycarpus) lichogina, | |
| Cultural: | For dogs that steal food |
| Food: | A vegetable but bitter |
| decorus (Ghost Pachycarpus) lichogina, | |
| Cultural: | For dogs that steal food |
| galpinii lichogina, | |
| Cultural: | For dogs that steal food |
| scaber (Large White Pachycarpus) lichogina, | |
| Cultural: | For dogs that steal food. Protective charm against evil. |
| stelliceps | |
| Cultural: | For dogs that steal food |
| transvaalensis lichogina, | |
| Cultural: | For dogs that steal food |
| Pentarrhinum | |
| abyssinicum (African Heartvine) umdzandzabuka, | |
| Food: | Edible leaves & fruit. Widely used food source in Southern Africa. |
| subsp. abyssinicum | |
| subsp. angolense | |
| Pergularia | |
| daemia var. daemia (Trellis Vine) umdzandzabuka, | |
| Medicinal: | Roots for arthritis, asthma & venereal disease. Blood pressure. |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 | |
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I |
| J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R |
| S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
Search for flora information: Enter any name or part of a name in the appropriate box:
Search for photos/illustrations: Enter any name or part of a name in the appropriate box:
Website hosting sponsored by the Natural History Society of Eswatini
