Eswatini's Flora - siSwati Names and Uses - RUBIACEAE
Compiled by Chris Long, © December 2005
| Kohautia | |
| amatymbica (Tremble Tops) umfanozacile, | |
| Cultural: | Protect babies against evil and love charm emetic. |
| Medicinal: | Improve appetite of infants & as snake protection |
| Food: | Edible roots |
| Conostomium | |
| natalense var. natalense (Wild Pentas) umbophe, ungcolosi, | |
| Cultural: | Love charms & to prevent lightning. |
| Pentodon | |
| Oldenlandia magisawu lomhlophe, | |
| affinis subsp. fugax (Wild Pentas) | |
| cephalotes (Wild Pentas) | |
| corymbosa var. caespitosa (Wild Pentas) | |
| herbacea (Wild Pentas) | |
| var. flaccida | |
| var. herbacea | |
| muscosa (Wild Pentas) | |
| rosulata (Wild Pentas) | |
| var. rosulata | |
| rupicola (Wild Pentas) | |
| var. hirtula | |
| var. rupicola | |
| tenella (Wild Pentas) | |
| Breonadia | |
| salicina (African Teak) thlume, umhlume, | |
| Timber: | Heavy, durable timber for construction. |
| Cultural: | Wood used during traditional ceremonies. |
| Firewood: | Firewood |
| Household: | Wood for furniture & boats. |
| Medicinal: | Bark for stomach problems and as children's tonic. |
| Cephalanthus | |
| natalensis (Tree Strawberry) mfomfo, umfomfo, umufofo, | |
| Medicinal: | Fruit for fevers. Bark & stem treat retardation of motor function |
| Food: | Edible fruit & leaves. Flower is also edible. |
| Burchellia | |
| bubalina (Wild Pomegranate) intfumba-dloti, mahlosana, | |
| Timber: | Close-grained wood for hut building. |
| Honey: | Bee forage |
| Fodder: | Forage & fodder |
| Medicinal: | Roots as emetic and cosmetic body wash. |
| Catunaregam | |
| spinosa subsp. spinosa (Thorny Bone-apple) sikhwakhwane, sithole, | |
| Medicinal: | Fruits as emetic |
| Food: | Edible fruits. |
| Coddia | |
| rudis (Small Bone-apple) mahlamganisa, mahlanganisa, sikhwakhwane, silulwane, umhlabelo, | |
| Medicinal: | Apply as poultice to incisions away from a fracture or to treat fracture. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Gardenia umvalasangweni, umvalasangani, | |
| cornuta (Small Bone-apple) | |
| Cultural: | Pegs around homestead ward off evil influences. |
| Firewood: | Firewood |
| Medicinal: | Fruits & roots an emetic. |
| Food: | Fruits are edible but considered a famine food. |
| thunbergia (Small Bone-apple) | |
| Household: | Wood used for tools and implement handles. |
| Medicinal: | Infusion of root an emetic & for leprosy. Leaves used for syphilis. |
| volkensii (Transvaal Gardenia) emangwe lamhlophe, sivalasangweni, | |
| Timber: | Construction timber. |
| Cultural: | Hut protection. Charm against evil spirits. |
| Fodder: | Leaves are eaten by game and stock. |
| Firewood: | Firewood |
| Household: | Household utensils. Spoons, ornaments etc. |
| Medicinal: | Infusion of roots and fruit as an emetic. Used for intestinal worms. Roots as an analgesic. |
| subsp. spatulifolia | |
| subsp. volkensii var. saundersiae | |
| subsp. volkensii var. volkensii | |
| Rothmannia | |
| capensis (Candlewood) intumbamadlozi, sikhokho, | |
| Timber: | Poles for huts |
| Cultural: | Roots are a panacea for evil spirits. |
| Firewood: | Wood for hot fires |
| Medicinal: | Roots for rheumatism & leprosy. Juice from fruit for wounds & burns. |
| Food: | Edible but unpleasant fruits |
| globosa (September Bells) sikoba, | |
| Medicinal: | Powdered roots for leprosy. |
| Food: | Edible fruits. |
| Hyperacanthus | |
| amoenus (Spiny Gardenia) bembetfy, bhembetfu, indzabulaluvalo, ingulavuma, ingwavuma, luphembetu, mvalasangweni, ngcotfo, umvalasangweni, | |
| Cultural: | Used to deter wild animals from entering the home. Roots to cleanse and give courage. |
| Household: | Fencing stakes and fishing baskets. |
| Medicinal: | Fruit & roots are emetic |
| Food: | Tasty edible fruit. |
| Oxyanthus | |
| pyriformis subsp. pyriformis (Natal Loquat) mgungununu, umgungununu, umphala, | |
| speciosus subsp. gerrardii (Wild Loquat) mgungununu, umgungununu, umphala, | |
| Household: | Slender branches make whipsticks |
| Tricalysia | |
| capensis (Rock Jackal Coffee) indulwane, indvulwane, | |
| var. capensis | |
| var. galpinii | |
| var. transvaalensis | |
| lanceolata (Jackal Coffee) cwatsi, indulwane, indvulwane, umphehla, umphela cwatsi, | |
| Household: | Used for spear shafts. |
| Medicinal: | Roots used as an emetic. |
| Kraussia | |
| floribunda (Wild Cornel) lisolenkhosi, litsambo lenja, | |
| Medicinal: | Roots used to treat pregnant women |
| Food: | Edible sweet fruit |
| Pentanisia umgwamiso, | |
| angustifolia (Wild Cornel) | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal bulb for stomach pains & haemorrhoids |
| prunelloides (Wild Verbena) licishamulo, | |
| Medicinal: | Roots for menstrual cramps, fevers, heartburn & venereal diseases. |
| subsp. latifolia | |
| subsp. prunelloides | |
| Vangueria emantulwa, | |
| cyanescens (Wild Medlar) umntulu, umntulwa, | |
| Cultural: | Mahhanyu clan do not burn nor eat. Pegs around homestead give lightning protection. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| esculenta (Forest Wild Medlar) umntulu, umntulwa, | |
| Cultural: | Mahhanyu clan do not burn nor eat. Pegs around homestead give lightning protection. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| infausta subsp. infausta (Wild Medlar) imadnulu, imandulu, infahlo, infaylo, infaylo, infayo, limandvulo, mantulwa, mavelo, santudlevane, santulwan, santulwana, santulwane, umfilwa, umgana, umntudlwana, umntuli, umntulu, umntulwa, umvigo, umvile, umviyo, | |
| Food: | Edible fruit with high vitamin C content. Has a mealy texture. In places a brandy or a refreshing drink is made from the fruit. |
| Cultural: | Mahhanyu clan & others do not burn nor eat. Tree believed to have evil powers. Pegs around the homestead give lightning protection. |
| Household: | Can be used for crafts but many will not use as may bring bad luck. |
| Medicinal: | Roots for malaria & pneumonia. Worm remedy & purgative. Bark used to treat blood stool. |
| parvifolia (Small Velvet Leaf.) sikhwakhwane, umntulu, | |
| Cultural: | Pegs around the homestead give lightning protection. |
| Household: | Wood can be used for arrowheads. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Pygmaeothamnus | |
| Canthium umvutfwamini, umuvutfwane, | |
| ciliatum (Dwarf Turkey-berry) mvutfwamini, mvutwamira, | |
| Cultural: | Magico-medico uses. |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| gilfillanii (Dwarf Turkey-berry) | |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| inerme (Raisin-fruited Canthium) mevane, | |
| Medicinal: | Leaves used for stomach complaints. |
| Food: | Edible fruit but insipid. |
| mundianum (Rock Alder) siluwane, sivilwane, umphatsankhosi, | |
| Timber: | Fencing posts resistant to borers and termites. |
| Household: | Good furniture and implements. |
| Food: | Edible fruit. |
| setiflorum subsp. setiflorum (Rock Alder) | |
| Food: | Raisin-like fruit is edible. |
| suberosum (Rock Alder) | |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Plectroniella | |
| armata (False Turkey-berry) sangongongo, umvutfwamini wemahlatsi, | |
| Timber: | Branches used for construction. |
| Firewood: | Firewood |
| Food: | Edible fruit & leaves. Sap for beer |
| Psydrax | |
| livida (False Turkey-berry) | |
| Fodder: | Leaves browsed by cattle. |
| locuples (Whipstick Canthium) isikhondlwane, | |
| obovata (Mountain Quar) umvutfwamini, | |
| Timber: | Useful general purpose timber. |
| Soil Conservation: | Consolidates sand dunes. |
| Food: | Edible fruit & leaves. |
| subsp. elliptica | |
| subsp. obovata | |
| Keetia | |
| gueinzii (Climbing Turkey-berry) gcupe, sinwati, ugcupe, | |
| Household: | Knob-sticks. |
| Medicinal: | Root is medicinal. |
| Food: | Edible fruit. |
| Pyrostria | |
| hystrix (Climbing Turkey-berry) | |
| Cultural: | Used to protect graves. Never used as firewood. |
| Pachystigma | |
| bowkeri (Forest Crowned-medlar) isiphuthe, | |
| Food: | Edible delicious fruit. |
| latifolium (Forest Crowned-medlar) | |
| Food: | Fruit pulp is edible. |
| macrocalyx (Crowned False Medlar) siphutse, umphatsankhosi, | |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| pygmaeum (Hairy Gousiektebossie) imyimandlebe, umkhuna, umvimbandlebe, | |
| Food: | Edible fruit. Plant can be poisonous to stock. |
| venosum (Dwarf Medlar) igqulamntwana, isivithogwane, | |
| Food: | Edible fruit |
| Fadogia | |
| homblei (Wild Date) ndhlaleni, | |
| Food: | Fruits are edible. Plant can be poisonous for stock. |
| Coffea | |
| arabica * (Wild Date) | |
| Food: | Seeds for coffee |
| zanguebariae (Wild Date) | |
| Food: | Seeds for coffee |
| Pavetta luphehlwane, | |
| barbertonensis (Wild Date) | |
| Cultural: | Scattered in homestead to attract ancestral spirits. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| cooperi (Wild Date) | |
| Cultural: | Scattered in homestead to attract ancestral spirits. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| edentula (Large-leaved Bride's Bush) samunyane, sawoti, simunyane, umgcobagcobane, umgcobagcobane, umkhwevane, umkwevane, | |
| Cultural: | For ancestral spirits |
| Medicinal: | Stewed leaves used for flu prevention. |
| Food: | Edible leaves & fruit. But Zulus will not eat the fruit of any Pavetta. |
| eylesii (Large-leaved Bride's Bush) samunyane, simunyane, | |
| Cultural: | For ancestral spirits |
| galpinii (Large-leaved Bride's Bush) | |
| Cultural: | For ancestral spirits |
| gracilifolia (Large-leaved Bride's Bush) | |
| Cultural: | For ancestral spirits |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| inandensis (Forest Bride's Bush) umdiezi, umdlezi, | |
| Cultural: | For ancestral spirits |
| lanceolata (Forest Bride's Bush) | |
| Food: | Edible leaves taste like watercress. |
| schumanniana (Poison Bride's Bush) sawoti, | |
| Cultural: | For ancestral spirits |
| Medicinal: | Poisonous leaves but roots used for colds. |
| zeyheri (Poison Bride's Bush) | |
| Cultural: | For ancestral spirits |
| Food: | Edible leaves. |
| Psychotria | |
| capensis subsp. capensis var. capensis (Black Bird-berry) dzilidzili, dzilidzili lomhlophe, udzilidzili omhlophe, | |
| Timber: | All purpose timber. Varnish leaves a good finish. |
| Medicinal: | Leaves contain tryptamines that induce hallucinations. Bark is an anthelmintic. Used for gastric complaints. |
| Galium | |
| capense subsp. garipense (Bedstraw) intila lubombo, | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Rubia intila lubombo, | |
| cordifolia subsp. conotricha (Bedstraw) | |
| Dyes: | Dye |
| Cultural: | Used by diviners for insight & protection. Love charm emetic. |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal for colic, sore throat, impotence & menstrual problems |
| horrida (Bedstraw) | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| petiolaris (Bedstraw) | |
| Medicinal: | Medicinal |
| Coptosperma | |
| supra-axillare (Narrow-leaved Butterspoon) litsambo lenja, tsambolenja, | |
| Household: | Sticks |
| Food: | Edible fruit & leaves |
SiSwati names and uses, arranged by botanical name - families:
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