Eswatini's Flora - siSwati Names and Uses - APOCYNACEAE
Compiled by Chris Long, © December 2005
| Acokanthera | |
| oppositifolia (Bushman's Poison) inhlanguyane, inhlungunyemba, luzekwa, mutsimulisa, sibhanku, umhlakahliso, | |
| Insecticidal: | Snake deterrent. |
| Medicinal: | All parts of plant poisonous. Roots & bark with other ingredients used for arrow poison. But used for irregular menstruation & snakebite cure. With related species is a source of ouabain heart medicine. Doses carefully adapted to individula needs by heal |
| Food: | Poisonous fruit reportedly eaten by some people in some places. May be less poisonous in some areas when fully ripened. |
| rotundata (Round-leaved Poison Bush) inhlungunyemba, | |
| Food: | Poisonous but ripe fruits said to be edible but bitter. |
| Carissa umvusankunzi, | |
| bispinosa (Num-num Shrub) umbethankunzi, umbetsankunzi, | |
| Medicinal: | Root medicinal for toothache |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| subsp. bispinosa | |
| subsp. zambesiensis | |
| tetramera (African Viagra) lucondvo, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for impotence in men. An African Viagra. |
| Food: | Edible fruit. |
| Gonioma | |
| kamassi (Kamassi) gala-gala, | |
| Household: | Carving & implement handles. Wood contains poisonous alkaloids. |
| Tabernaemontana | |
| elegans (Toad Tree) mkhahlu, umfomamasi, umkhahlu, umkhalu, umkhamasi, | |
| Medicinal: | Root for pulmonary diseases. Coagulated latex is a styptic. Fruit used for STDs. Bark and fruit for vomit. |
| Food: | Edible but slimy fruit. |
| Rauvolfia | |
| caffra (Quinine Tree) umfomamasi, umhlambamanzi, umkhamamasi, umtfomasi, | |
| Cultural: | Used by healers to give good communication with ancestors. Gives good dreams and visions |
| Household: | Wood for drums & kitchen utensils |
| Medicinal: | Sap, roots & bark for high blood pressure, heart arrhythmia & cholera. Popular traditional medicine but fruit is poisonous to humans. |
| Adenium sisilasemphala, | |
| multiflorum (Quinine Tree) | |
| Fodder: | Fodder. Browsed by game, goats & cattle but can be poisonous. |
| Insecticidal: | Used as fish poison and on arrow-heads. |
| Medicinal: | Poisonous but has medicinal applications as a male aphrodisiac. |
| swazicum (Quinine Tree) | |
| Pachypodium | |
| saundersii (Impala Lily) ligubaguba, nukankhulu wemanyeva, sisilasemphala, | |
| Medicinal: | Bulb used for toothache |
| Strophanthus | |
| gerrardii (Spider Flower Poison Rope) ubuhlungubendlovu, | |
| Cultural: | Charm to ensure good crops. Probably also poisonous. |
| speciosus (Common Poison Rope) amasebele, umhlazazane, umkhukhumeza, umshayimamba, | |
| Medicinal: | Seeds & foliage poisonous. S. kombe is powerful arrow poison |
| Wrightia | |
| natalensis (Saddle Pod) umbengende, umbengendze, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal. |
| Mondia | |
| whitei (White's Ginger) umondi, | |
| Medicinal: | Roots for stress, tension, indigestion & constipation. Aphrodisiac. Bark & leaves helps labout pains easy birth and healthy child. |
| Food: | Roots for making ginger beer. |
| Tacazzea | |
| apiculata (Crawcraw Vine) isimondane, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal tonic |
| Cryptolepis | |
| oblongifolia (Crawcraw Vine) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| Raphionacme indzema, | |
| galpinii (Galpin's Raphio) lubhuku, | |
| Fodder: | Browsed by animals |
| Medicinal: | Tuber used to treat rashes. |
| Food: | Edible fruit & roots |
| hirsuta (Galpin's Raphio) | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for chronic ulcers. |
| Food: | Edible fruit & tubers. Aids fermentation. Maybe poisonous. |
| procumbens (Creeping Raphio) imfuce, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Xysmalobium | |
| asperum (Sandpaper Cartwheel) umdzayana, | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| confusum (Bitter Wood) lichogina, | |
| Medicinal: | For dogs that steal food |
| involucratum (Scented Xysmalobium) udambisa omkhulu, | |
| Cultural: | Sprinkling charm against evil. |
| orbiculare (False Thick-fruit) lichogina, | |
| Medicinal: | For dogs that steal food |
| undulatum (Bitter Wood) lishongwe, umdzayi, | |
| Dyes: | Dyes. |
| Insecticidal: | Aromatic & pesticidal. |
| Medicinal: | Roots for indigestion, fever, colds, diarrhoea & urethral discharge. |
| Food: | Young leaves are edible |
| Schizoglossum | |
| atropurpureum subsp. atropurpureum (Red Milkwort) ishongwe, | |
| Cultural: | Smoked bundled roots ward off lightning |
| Food: | Edible roots |
| cordifolium (Common Split-tongue) sicadze, | |
| Food: | Edible roots |
| Aspidoglossum | |
| araneiferum (Common Split-tongue) | |
| Food: | Edible roots |
| interruptum (Common Split-tongue) | |
| Food: | Edible roots. |
| Miraglossum | |
| pulchellum (Common Split-tongue) | |
| Food: | Edible roots. |
| 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 (Large Red Milkwort) | |
| 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 (Large White Pachycarpus) | |
| Cultural: | For dogs that steal food |
| transvaalensis lichogina, | |
| Cultural: | For dogs that steal food |
| Asclepias coyane, umdzayi, umdzayana, sidzayi, undzayi, inkhokabovu, | |
| adscendens | |
| Food: | Edible leaves & fruit |
| albens (Cartwheels) umdzayi, | |
| Medicinal: | Roots for bilharzia, pimples, headches and healing wounds. |
| Food: | Edible leaves. Cooked like spinach. |
| aurea (Cartwheels) | |
| Medicinal: | Emetic. |
| Food: | Edible rootstock. Edible leaves |
| brevicuspis (Cartwheels) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| californica (Cartwheels) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| compressidens (Cartwheels) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| crassinervis (Cartwheels) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| crispa var. plana (Cartwheels) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| Medicinal: | Roots as diuretic & purgative |
| cucullata (Cartwheels) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| subsp. cucullata | |
| cultriformis (Cartwheels) | |
| Cultural: | Smoked wood bundles ward off lightning |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| densiflora (Cartwheels) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| dissona (Cartwheels) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| dregeana (Button Heads) inkhokhabovu, lichogina, | |
| Medicinal: | For dogs that steal food |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| var. calceola | |
| var. dregeana | |
| eminens (Button Heads) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| expansa (Button Heads) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| fallax (Button Heads) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves when well-cooked. |
| gibba var. gibba (Button Heads) | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for snakebite. |
| Food: | Edible roots, leaves & flowers. |
| meliodora (Button Heads) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| meyeriana (Button Heads) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| schlechteri (Button Heads) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| stellifera (Button Heads) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| woodii liphoti, | |
| Food: | Fruits eaten in small quantities by Swazis. |
| Pentarrhinum | |
| abyssinicum (African Heartvine) umdzandzabuka, | |
| Food: | Edible leaves & fruit. Widely used food source in Southern Africa. |
| subsp. abyssinicum | |
| subsp. angolense | |
| Sarcostemma | |
| viminale subsp. viminale (Caustic Vine) emaphoti, ingotjwa, liphoti, makhombo makhulu, umphangalehaya, | |
| Fodder: | Browsed by animals |
| Medicinal: | Heartburn, ulcers, septic sores, venereal disease. Stem is used. However deemed to be poisonous with toxicity varying with area in which it occurs. Stems and pods stimulate milk in nursing mothers. |
| Food: | Young stems and fruits edible. |
| Secamone | |
| gerrardii (Gerrard's Secamone) insakansaka, umgcobandlovu, | |
| Medicinal: | Bark & roots for chest pains, spinal complaints & stomach cramps. Strengthens blood. |
| parvifolia makhukhumetana, makhukhumetane, milimili, | |
| Cultural: | Roots used for bewitchment. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Brachystelma | |
| circinatum | |
| Food: | Edible stem tubers |
| coddii | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Brachystelma spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| decipiens | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Brachystelma spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| filifolium | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Brachystelma spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| gemmeum | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Brachystelma spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| gerrardii (Hottentot's Bread) sidsendza, sidzendza, | |
| Food: | Edible fleshy roots. |
| macropetalum (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Fleshy roots presumed to be edible. |
| pulchellum (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Brachystelma spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| rubellum (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Brachystelma spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| swazicum (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Brachystelma spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| villosum (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Brachystelma spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| Ceropegia | |
| ampliata var. ampliata (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Ceropegia spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| carnosa (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Ceropegia spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| cimiciodora (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Ceropegia spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| crassifolia var. crassifolia (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Eaten as a vegetable |
| decidua (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Ceropegia spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| subsp. decidua | |
| subsp. pretoriensis | |
| fortuita (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Ceropegia spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| linearis (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Edible stems for water. Edible tubers |
| subsp. linearis | |
| subsp. woodii | |
| meyeri (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Leaves eaten as spinach by Vendas. Edible tubers. |
| nilotica var. nilotica (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers eaten by Bushmen in Namibia. |
| pachystelma subsp. pachystelma (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Ceropegia spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| rendallii (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Edible tubers. |
| sandersonii (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Ceropegia spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| stapeliiformis subsp. serpentina (Hottentot's Bread) | |
| Food: | Tubers of all Ceropegia spp.believed to be edible. A famine food. |
| Riocreuxia | |
| picta umdzandzabuka wemahlatsi, | |
| Food: | Edible leaves eaten as spinach. |
| profusa umshunko, | |
| Food: | Edible leaves eaten as spinach. |
| Duvalia | |
| polita (Hottentot's Toes) tililo lomncane, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Food: | Edible underground stems. A source of water. |
| Stapelia tililo lomncane, tililo, | |
| gigantea (Giant Carrion Flower) tililolomncane, | |
| Cultural: | Used in sorcery as a poison to cause death. Home protection. |
| Medicinal: | Remedy for hysteria & mental disorders. Emetic. |
| leendertziae (Leendertz's Carrion Flower) tililolomncane, | |
| Medicinal: | Remedy for hysteria & mental disorders. Emetic. |
| unicornis tililolomncane, | |
| Medicinal: | Remedy for hysteria & mental disorders. Emetic. |
| 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 |
| Huernia tililo lomncane, | |
| hystrix var. hystrix (Toad Plant) lozililo, nomaliliza, | |
| Medicinal: | Stem is medicinal for sexual stimulation. |
| stapelioides (Toad Plant) | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| zebrina (Toad Plant) | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| subsp. magniflora | |
| subsp. zebrina | |
| Pergularia | |
| daemia var. daemia (Trellis Vine) umdzandzabuka, | |
| Medicinal: | Roots for arthritis, asthma & venereal disease. Blood pressure. |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| Fockea | |
| angustifolia (Trellis Vine) | |
| Household: | Soap from shavings |
| Food: | Edible stems. Edible tubers - a water-root in Namibia. |
| edulis (Trellis Vine) | |
| Food: | Huge tubers are edible - a substitute for water melon. |
| Gomphocarpus | |
| fruticosus (Milkweed) , | |
| Cultural: | Take the snuff until sneezing to bring back ancestors. |
| Medicinal: | Root - heart disorders. Powdered leaves & roots for headache snuff. |
| subsp. decipiens | |
| subsp. fruticosus | |
| glaucophyllus umbohlobohlo, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Food: | Edible young leaves. |
| physocarpus (Baboon Cottonbush) lusingalwesalukati, | |
| Household: | Stems for sewing fibre. Tinder for tinder boxes. |
| Medicinal: | Powdered roots and leaves stomach ache, dizzy headache (snuff), warts and TB. |
| Trachycalymma | |
| buchwaldii (Cartwheels) umdzayi, | |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| Catharanthus | |
| roseus * (Madagascar Periwinkle) ikhwinini, isishushlungu, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for diabetes, rhematism, insect bites & cancers. |
SiSwati names and uses, arranged by botanical name - families:
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