Eswatini's Flora - siSwati Names and Uses - LAMIACEAE
Compiled by Chris Long, © December 2005
| Premna | |
| mooiensis (Skunk Bush) chachambane, sidadada, | |
| Timber: | Durable fence posts and used for construction.. |
| Firewood: | Branches used for firewood. |
| Food: | Berries are reported by some to be edible. |
| Vitex umkhosikati, | |
| ferruginea (Plum Fingerleaf) umbendula, umphenduka, | |
| harveyana (Scrambling Fingerleaf) mbidvongo, | |
| Food: | Edible fruits when ripe and black. |
| obovata (Hairy Fingerleaf) amakhosikate, bufufu, | |
| Timber: | Trunk used for construction. |
| Firewood: | Firewood |
| subsp. obovata | |
| subsp. wilmsii | |
| rehmannii (Pipe-stem Tree) bufufu, mbhindvongo, tibhindvolo, | |
| Household: | Hollow stems make pipe stems. Wood for tools & handles. |
| Medicinal: | Infusion of leaves as enemas for stomach ache. Also used for chest complaints and fits. |
| Food: | Edible parts |
| Clerodendrum | |
| glabrum var. glabrum (White Cat's Whiskers) umphehlacwatsi, umphelacwatsi, | |
| Honey: | Sweet scented flower for bees. |
| Cultural: | Scattered for ancestors. A rain tree. |
| Firewood: | Good wood for starting fires. |
| Medicinal: | Leaves for colic, coughs, colds, anal prolapse & wounds. Roots for snakebites. Bark as a dewormer. |
| ternatum (Blue Cat's Whiskers) umphehlacwatsi, | |
| Medicinal: | Skin complaints & spleen |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Karomia | |
| speciosa (Blue Cat's Whiskers) | |
| Honey: | Flowers attract bees |
| forma speciosa | |
| Ajuga | |
| ophrydis (Blue Cat's Whiskers) | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for female sterility & painful menstruation. |
| Teucrium | |
| kraussii isihlungu, umnunu wenkhangala, | |
| kraussii | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal as a tonic and for snake bites.. Treat meat infected by anthrax. |
| Leonotis | |
| leonurus (Lion's Ear) imunyane, umcwili, utshwala-bezinyoni, | |
| Insecticidal: | Charm as snake repellent. |
| Medicinal: | Leaf & root concoctions used internally for colds, flu, coughs, bronchitis, headaches & asthma & externally for stings, bites, & boils. |
| nepetifolia (Lion's Ear) | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for reproductive, respiratory and gastric system. Diuretic. |
| ocymifolia (Wild Dagga) tjwalabenyoni, | |
| Leucas | |
| glabrata var. glabrata (Wild Dagga) | |
| Fodder: | Browsed by game |
| Household: | Used for toothbrushes |
| Food: | Edible leaves |
| martinicensis (Tumble Weed) amandetshi, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for colds. |
| Food: | Vegetable |
| Stachys | |
| aethiopica (Tumble Weed) | |
| Honey: | Visited by honey bees. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for feverish delirium |
| nigricans umusa, | |
| Cultural: | Love charm emetic. |
| Medicinal: | Tonic |
| Salvia | |
| aurita var. galpinii | |
| Medicinal: | Infusions for colds, flu & bronchitis |
| Food: | Edible and used as flavouring. |
| coccinea * | |
| Food: | Edible herb |
| Mentha | |
| aquatica (Water Mint) mayime, | |
| Cultural: | Protective charm against evil spirits. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for colds & respiratory problems. |
| Food: | Culinary herb. Leaves infused for tea. |
| longifolia (Wild Mint) futsane, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for headaches, indigestion & urinary tract. |
| Food: | Herbal tea from leaves. |
| subsp. capensis | |
| subsp. polyadena | |
| Hyptis | |
| pectinata * (Wild Mint) | |
| Medicinal: | Leaves & fruit to benefit the insane with North American Indian tribes. |
| Pycnostachys | |
| reticulata (Slender Pycnostachys) mvuthuka, umvuthuza, | |
| Medicinal: | Used as mouthwash. Helps stop body lice in humans. |
| Plectranthus umnyamawempunzi, | |
| amboinicus (Slender Pycnostachys) | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal tea for dry cough. |
| Food: | Leaves boiled for tea. Seasoning for food. |
| barbatus (Slender Pycnostachys) | |
| Medicinal: | Roots used for heart failure, glaucoma, bronchitus & hypertension. |
| ciliatus (Speckled Spur-flower) umsuthuza, | |
| Household: | Used for washing clothes. |
| cylindraceus (Speckled Spur-flower) | |
| Insecticidal: | Aromatic & pesticidal |
| ecklonii (Speckled Spur-flower) | |
| Medicinal: | Leaf remedy for headaches and hayfever. |
| esculentus (African Potato) mhlata, umhlata, | |
| Food: | Edible stem tubers |
| fruticosus (Forest Spurflower) cabhozi, | |
| Cultural: | Used for purification before talking to ancestors. |
| Insecticidal: | Crushed stems or leaves repel flies. |
| Medicinal: | Bark a remedy for mouth ulcers in children & for headaches. |
| hadiensis (Wild Purple Salvia) ilozane, | |
| Cultural: | Sprinkling charm against evil spirits. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal enema. |
| var. hadiensis | |
| var. tomentosus | |
| var. woodii | |
| laxiflorus (Citronella Spur-flower) ubebebe, ufuthane, umadolwane, umsuthuza, | |
| Medicinal: | Abdominal, fevers, coughs, colds & as a mouthwash. |
| Food: | Tubers eaten by Zulus. |
| madagascariensis (Madagascar Spur-flower) ilozane, | |
| Medicinal: | Remedies are made for coughs & colds. |
| var. madagascariensis | |
| var. ramosior | |
| neochilus (Madagascar Spur-flower) | |
| Household: | An air purifier. |
| Hoslundia | |
| opposita (Orange Birdberry.) emalilwane, emayiwane, umlilwane, | |
| Fodder: | Browsed by game |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for stomach disorders. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Syncolostemon | |
| parviflorus var. parviflorus (Small-flowered Pink Plume) umnandi, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for loss of appetite. |
| Ocimum | |
| americanum var. americanum (Small-flowered Pink Plume) | |
| Insecticidal: | Aromatic & pesticidal. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal panacea. Aromatic. |
| Becium | |
| obovatum (Cat's Whiskers) idada, iziba, ufukuzela, umathanjane, | |
| Medicinal: | Stomach complaints & hair restorer |
| subsp. obovatum var. galpinii | |
| subsp. obovatum var. obovatum | |
| Rotheca | |
| hirsuta (Small Violet Bush) sigibanyongo, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for intestinal worms. A bile tonic |
| myricoides (Cat's Whiskers) luphehlacwatsi, manyongwane, sigabanyongo, umbozwa, vatke luphehlacwatsi, | |
| Medicinal: | Fruit a remedy for skin complaints. Reputed to cure snake bites. Leaves maybe antiseptic. Root to cure spleen ailments. |
| Food: | Edible fruit. |
SiSwati names and uses, arranged by botanical name - families:
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