Eswatini's Flora - siSwati Names and Uses - RHAMNACEAE
Compiled by Chris Long, © December 2005
| Ziziphus | |
| mucronata subsp. mucronata (Buffalo Thorn) imphafa, umlahlabantfu, umlahlabantu, umpatle, umphafa, | |
| Timber: | Fencing posts. & construction |
| Honey: | Loved by bees & butterflies. |
| Cultural: | Bearing corpse at funerals. Magical properties to ward off evil. Taken if collecting corpse from accident scene but bearer is silent. |
| Firewood: | Firewood but taboo for some clans to burn. |
| Household: | Wood elasticity makes it useful for bows & hammer handles etc. |
| Medicinal: | Leaf, roots & bark infusions for chest complaints, boils, wounds, pain relief, skin infections & syphilis. |
| Food: | Edible fruit for porridge and meal. Can be fermented for beer. |
| Fodder: | Fodder. Browsed by stock and game |
| Berchemia | |
| discolor (Bird Plum) uvuka, | |
| Timber: | Hard, handsome timber. |
| Dyes: | Bark yields brown or purple dye. |
| Household: | Wood can be used for furniture. |
| Medicinal: | Bark has medicinal properties. |
| Food: | Edible fruit. Date-like taste. High sugar and Vitamin C content. |
| zeyheri (Red Ivory) sineyi, tineyi, umneyi, | |
| Timber: | Fine, hard, durable timber. Brtight red to pink heartwood. |
| Fodder: | Fodder |
| Firewood: | Fuelwood |
| Household: | Handicrafts, furniture & ornaments. Also for knobkerries. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for baby's navel & for anaemia. Bark for back pains. |
| Food: | Edible fruit made into sugary sweetmeat or condiment. |
| Scutia | |
| myrtina (Cat-thorn) siphingo, | |
| Food: | Edible but astringent fruit |
| Rhamnus | |
| prinoides (Dogwood) inyenye, linyenye, sineyi, | |
| Honey: | A good plants for bees. |
| Cultural: | Protective charms against lightning and evil spirits. |
| Fodder: | Forage & fodder |
| Household: | Small handicrafts |
| Medicinal: | Roots purify blood & for pneumonia. Leaves as liniment for strains. |
| Food: | Edible fruits. |
| Phylica | |
| paniculata (Common Hard-leaf) umdidi, | |
| Helinus | |
| integrifolius (Soap Creeper) ubhubhubhu, uphuphuphu, uxuphukwekwe, | |
| Cultural: | Roots used to wash away bad luck. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for hysteria & backache. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
SiSwati names and uses, arranged by botanical name - families:
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