Table 1 Plant species cited by informants among Vhavenda communities in the Limpopo Province of South Africa

 Ribbon Bush (Hypoestes aristata (Vahl) Roem. & Schult.)

Mukuluvhali

H

N

C/W

HG

Y

Food, medicine

a) Leaves: eaten as a vegetable; relish eaten with porridge; b) Roots: menstrual pain; bolsters immunity in young babies¹

a) Leaves: vegetable; eaten during times of food shortage [6].

NCU0014

 Fat Hen, Lamb's Quarter, White Goosefort, Common Pigsweed (Chenopodium album L)

Dale Dale

H

E (Europe)

W

HG

C/N

Food

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; relish seasoned with salt and eaten with porridge; dried in the sun and stored.

a) Leaves: vegetable [6].

NCU0065

 Red amaranth, Wild amaranth, Purple Amaranth, Cockscomb (Amaranthus cruentus L)

Mukango

H

E (North and Central America)

W

HG

Food, cultural, charcoal

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; eaten with porridge; b) Stem: seasoning to be mixed with the leaves of Corchorus tridens; also mixed with Ricinus communis to make a stimulant named snuff¹; c) Bark stem: used to make charcoal¹.

a) Leaves and stem: edible vegetable served with other vegetables and pumpkin leaves; dried and stored for future use [7].

NCU0021, 117, 135

 Smooth Pigweed (Amaranthus hybridus L)

Vowa

H

E (America)

C/W

HG

C/N

Y

Food, medicine

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; mixed with tomatoes and salt; relish eaten with porridge; infusion of leaves used to make a drink for new-born children named khongodoli to bolster the immune system²; infusion of leaves is also used to treat high blood pressure¹.

a) Leaves: vegetable eaten with pumpkin leaves and flowers and eaten with Corchorus tridens; used to test suitability of baby’s food during first 3–4 days. If the baby shows symptoms of diarrhoea, it is given a soft porridge named khongodoli instead of ntsu a liquid food. In this case, the baby is given a decoction of boiled leaves; ingredient in snuff; high nutritional value [6,7,8].

NCU0049, 94, 114, 118, 125, 157,

 Marula (Sclerocarya birrea (A.Rich.) Hochst.)

Mufula

T

N

C/W

F/W

Y

Firewood, food, medicine, drink

a) Fruits: edible and used to make a beer named mukumbi; b) Bark: treat ulcers; supports pregnancy and fertility in women; c) Wood: firewood.

a) Fruit: edible fruits; beer; b) seeds: cooking fat; cooking oil; c) bark: support pregnancy; fertility; colds; headaches; malaria; stomach troubles; ulcers; toothache; regulate sex of unborn child; d) wood: for carving and household utensils; burning articles made from clay [6, 9, 16].

NCU0140, 158, 176

 African Custard Apple, African Custard Apple (Annona senegalensis Pers)

Muembe

T

N

W

HG

Firewood, food, medicine

a) Fruit: edible fruits; b) Bark: toothache¹; root bark added to porridge for babies for its nutritional value; c) Wood: firewood¹.

a) Fruit: edible fruits; b) Root: snake-bite; venereal disease; bilharzia; enhances medicinal and nutritional value of porridge; relieves constipation; stomach and spasms; headache due to indigestion; blood in faeces; c) Bark: stomach ache; diarrhoea; dysentery; protecting individuals from antagonistic individuals; fibre used to make ox-whips; d) Wood: cow-stick; e) Branch: headache [6, 9, 16]

NCU0180

 Kalahari Bitterwood, Kalahari Red-Fingers (Xylopicrum odoratissimum (Welw. ex Oliv.) Kuntze)

Muvhulavhusiku

T

N

W

HG

Medicine

a) Roots: stomach pain

a) Roots: stomach ache [6, 16].

NCU0082

 African Heartvine (Pentarrhinum insipidum E.Mey.)

Phulule

C

N

W

HG

Food

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; cooked with porridge.

a) Edible vegetable; used as a spice when cooked with other vegetables [6].

NCU0070

 Quinine Tree (Rauvolfia caffra Sond)

Munadzi

T

N

C

HG

Y

Medicine, shade, domestic utensils

a) Wood: household utensils such as spoons and bowls; b) Bark: stomach aches; c) An important shade tree^1.

a) Bark: killing maggots in wounds; abdominal and pelvic troubles; malaria; arrests development of diseases; epilepsy; b) Wood: household utensils such as spoons and bowls [6, 9, 49].

NCU0013

 Rubber Vine (Landolphia Kirkii Dyer)

Muvhungo

Shr

N

W

HG

Food

a) Fruits: edible fruits named muvhungo; b) Latex: strengthening birdlime.

a) Fruits: edible fruits; beverage; b) Latex: sweet taste and used to make birdlime; c) Roots: piles; rheumatoid arthritis; d) Stem: sticks to protect against witchcraft and magical attacks; e) Saplings: basket rims; constructions of thatch roofs [6, 9, 13].

NCU0085, NCU0194

 Simple-Spined Num-Num, Climbing Num-Num, Small Num-Num (Carissa edulis (Forssk.) Vahl)

Murungulu

T

N

W

HG

Firewood, food

a) Fruit: edible fruits; b) Roots: soaked and mixed with other vegetables to make a relish and eaten with porridge; c) Wood: firewood¹

a) Fruits: edible fruits; juice; b) Roots: mixed with other roots to make an infusion for soft porridge named tshiunza and eaten by babies; tuberculosis; menorrhagia; infertility; worms; increase size of penis, mild laxative for children; c) Leaves: stomach ache; cough; cataracts [6, 9, 13, 50].

NCU0174, 201

 Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott)

Mufungwe

H

E (Asia)

C/W

HG

C/N

Food

a) Leaves: edible vegetable, leaves are dried and stored for future use; often eaten with meat because it produces an attractive aroma². The plant is commonly found in rivers.

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; b) Rhizomes: taste like potatoes when fried [7].

NCU0002, 19, 68, 92, 99, 144

 False-Cabbage Tree (Schefflera umbellifera (Sond.) Baill)

Mukho

T

N

C/W

HG

Y

Firewood, construction

a) Wood: used to make household utensils such as spoons and plates; firewood.

a) Wood: household utensils such as knives; spoons; plates; bowls [6].

NCU0053

 Annual Sowthistle, Common Sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus (L.) L.)

Shashe

H

E (Europe, Asia)

W

HG

C/N

Food

a) Leaves: edible vegetable believed to bolster the immune system²

a) Leaves: piquant taste to cooked vegetable; dried and stored for future use [6].

NCU0152

 Black Jack, Beggars Ticks (Bidens pilosa L)

Mushidzhi

H

E (America)

W

HG

C/N

Y

Food, medicine

a) Leaves: edible vegetable eaten with porridge; leaves are dried and used during times of drought or famine²; bolsters the immune system¹; given to new born babies to be eaten with soft porridge.

a) Leaves: edible vegetable eaten with porridge; piquant with other vegetables; menstruation problems; promote conception; testing whether new-born babies need liquid food or solid porridge; high nutritional value [6,7,8].

NCU0022, 60, 62, 95, 126, 151

 Bushman’s Tea (Athrixia phylicoides DC)

Mutshatsha

Shr

N

W

HG

Y

Food, drink

a) Leaves: Boiled and mixed with Hibiscus trionum to make a tea²; b) Fruits: used to make a dish named thopi from the fruits named gwadi¹.

a) Root: aphrodisiac; anthelmintic; b) Leaves: tea named Mubosotie; meaning wild tea plant; c) Wood: broom; d) Other uses: heart disease; diabetes; high blood pressure; headaches; stomach aches; influenza; leg wounds [6, 13, 51].

NCU0187

 Forest Silver Oak (Brachylaena discolor DC)

Mufhata

T

N

C/W

HG

Y

Firewood, domestic utensils, construction, charcoal, medicine, crafts, cultural

a) Wood: carving spoons; fences; huts; and poles; support for the neck to correct bad posture in children¹; threads for ties¹; firewood; charcoal¹; b) Leaves: treating roundworm; c) tree found in rivers; forests and mountains.

a) Leaves: roundworm infection; b) Wood: roofs; fencing; posts; wall posts; tool handles; firewood [6].

NCU0054, 57

 Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina (L.) Roth)

Muvangulure

Shr

E (North America)

W

HG

Indicator

a) Grows in cultivating fields and its presence indicates soil fertility¹

No known records

NCU0177

 African Cabbage, Spider Wisp (Cleome gynandra L)

Murudi

H

N

W

HG

Y

Food

a) Leaves: edible vegetables; the leaves are cooked and eaten as a relish with tomatoes and served with porridge; leaves can also be dried and stored during winter.

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; eaten with porridge; spice favoured for its piquant taste; dried and stored for future use; high nutritional value [6,7,8].

NCU0131, 184

 Papaya tree (Carica papaya L.)

Mupapawe

T

E (Central America)

C

HG

C/N

Y

Food, commercial, medicine

a) Fruits: Face mask to clear pimples¹; body lotion¹; edible fruits; b) Bark: steam of bark used to cure symptoms of flu¹

a) Roots: venereal disease [9].

NCU0073, 100, 147

 Cork Tree (Parinari curatellifolia Planch. ex Benth.)

Muvhula

T

N

W

HG

Food, drink

a) The fruits are eaten when ripened and an alcoholic beverage is also made from the fermented pulp of the fruit.

a) Fruits: for edible fruits; stamped in water or milk; alcoholic beverage; b) Bark: pelvic pains; venereal diseases; cleaning kidneys; toothache; c) Roots: venereal disease [6, 9, 13].

NCU0084

 Bicoloured Bushwillow, Kalahari Bushwillow, Silver Bushwillow (Combretum collinum Fresen)

Muvuvha

T

N

W

HG

Firewood, charcoal

Wood: firewood; charcoal¹

a) Wood: firewood; b) Shade saplings: building material [6].

 Bush Willow, Bushveld Willow (Combretum erythrophyllum (Burch) Sond)

Muvuvhu-wa-mulamboni

T

N

C

HG

Y

Medicine

a) Bark: pregnancy problems; b) Tree is found close to rivers.

a) Bark: pregnancy problems; b) Branches: roofs and wattles; c) Roots: coughs [6, 9].

NCU0105

 Silver-cluster leaf (Terminalia sericea Burch. ex DC.)

Mususu

T

N

W

HG

Medicine

a) Roots: treats diarrhoea in young babies.

a) Roots: used in soft porridge to prevent diarrhoea and dysentery; arrest purging; treat protracted parturition or a hanging placenta; venereal disease; infertility [6, 9].

NCU0124

 Velvet Bush Willow, Velvet Leaf Willow (Combretum molle R.Br ex G. Don)

Mugwiti

T

N

C/W

HG, CL

Firewood, charcoal, medicine

a) Bark: diarrhoea¹; b) Leaves: common colds; c) Wood: firewood.

a) Wood: firewood; construction; building; b) Leaves: colds; c) Medicine to encourage and maintain pregnancy; Roots: laxative [6, 9].

NCU0040, NCU0179

 Balsam Pear (Momordica balsamina L)

Tshibavhe

C

N

W

HG

Food, medicine

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; leaves of plant; eaten with porridge; high blood pressure¹

a) Leaves: edible vegetable eaten with porridge; piquant taste when added to other vegetables; antiemetic [6].

NCU0063

 Bitter Melon (Momordica boivinii Baill)

Nngu

C

N

W

HG

Food, medicine

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; eaten during times of drought; b) Leaves and roots: Earache¹; gout¹

a) Leaves: eaten with porridge; spice; b) Roots: helps babies to grow bigger [6, 7].

NCU0067, NCU0156

 Jelly Melon, Bitter Wild Cucumber, African Cucumber (Cucumis africanus L.f.)

Tshinyagu

H

N

W

HG

Food

a) Leaves: Edible leaves and mixed with Hibiscus Trionum to be eaten with porridge².

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; b) Seed: purgative [6, 7].

NCU0186

 Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L)

Thanga

H

E (Central and North America)

C

HG

Y

Food, medicine

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; eaten as a spinach when cooked with the roots; eaten with porridge; medicine for treating birth pain¹ b) Seeds: edible; c) Calabash; d) Skin of pumpkin: used to make an edible dish named thopi when mixed with porridge².

a) Leaves: cooked with pumpkins and flowers as a dish; b) Flowers: dried and used as a vegetable [6, 7].

NCU0076, 103, 134, 182, 191

 Bluebrush, Star-Apple Monkey Plum (Diospyros lycioides Desf)

Muthala

T

N

C/W

HG

Firewood, Food, Shade

a) Fruits: salads¹; Wood: firewood¹

a) Roots: used to make tshiunza a dish given to babies with porridge and ntswu; a nutritious fluid of plants used to feed children who cannot yet eat soft porridge; epilepsy b) Stems: used as lashes by herd boys and teachers [18, 21].

NCU0026, 148, 170

 Magic Guarri (Euclea divinorum Hiern)

Mutangule

T

N

W

HG

Firewood, medicine, food

a) Fruits: edible fruits; b) Branches: toothbrush; c) Wood: firewood¹; d) Roots: stomach problems.

a) Fruits: edible fruits; beverage; b) Branch: toothbrush; c) Roots: purgative; stomach aches; purification of blood; general ill health; c) Prevent water contamination [6, 13, 16, 52, 53].

NCU0168

 Cassava (Manihot utilissima Pohl)

Mutumbula

Shr

E (South America)

C

HG

Food

a) Leaves: cooked with soft porridge for babies; aids digestion¹; eaten during times of hunger or drought.

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; eaten with porridge and stored for future use; b) Roots: tuber eaten after prolonged boiling or central root core is removed prior to cooking as it is believed to be poisonous [6].

NCU0102

 Castor Oil (Ricinus communis L.)

Mupfure

H

E (Europe, India, Tropical Africa)

C

HG

I

Medicine

a) Seeds: oils mixed with other medicines because of sticky substance; polishing leather; (b) Leaves: dried and crushed to make a snuff¹.

a) Roots: toothache; (b) Leaves: purgative; used to treat the disease tshiliso; thought to be caused by witchcraft; topical treatment of internal pains and injuries; c) Seed: purgative; oil from the seed made for mixing medicines; earache; softening and polishing leather; d) Fruits: used as slingshot balls; causes diarrhoea and emesis but will cure coughs; worms; laxative; tonic; earache; menorrhagia; f) Leaves and stems: stings; bites of insects [6, 9, 14].

NCU0051

 Forest Fever Berry (Croton sylvaticus Hoscht)

Mulathoho

T

N

C/W

HG

Y

Shade, medicine, firewood

a) Shade¹; b) Leaves: pleurisy¹; c) Wood: firewood¹.

No known records

NCU0047

 Ana Tree, Apple Ring, Winter Thorn(Faidherbia albida (Delile) A. Chev)

Muhoto

T

N

C

HG

Y

Food, medicine

a) Fruits: eaten by cattle¹; b) Bark: venereal disease^1..

a) Bark: anti-malarial [10].

NCU0104

 Apple-Leaf (Philenoptera violacea (Klotzsch) Schrire)

Mufhanda

T

N

C

HG

Firewood, medicine, c

a) Stems: medicine for protecting the homestead and yard¹; diarrhoea; b) Wood: firewood¹.

a) Bark: treatment of ticks; b) Entire plant: diarrhoea; c) Roots: gastrointestinal disorders [9, 54].

NCU0120

 Common Coral Tree, Lucky Bean Tree (Erythrina lysistemon Hutch)

Muvhale

T

N

C/W

HG

Construction, medicine, cultural, food

a) Fruit: edible fruits; b) Wood: fences for construction¹; c) Bark: enhance the immune system¹; d) Cultural: tombstone for traditional graveyards

a) Planted in graveyard; b) Bark: toothache; antibacterial compound; improved sexual performance; relieving oedema; c) Wood: firewood; d) windbreak; e) ornamental [6, 10, 11, 16].

NCU0029, 164

 Cork bush, Silver Bush, Rhodesian Silver-Leaf (Mundulea sericea (Willd.) A. Chev.)

Mukundandou

T

N

W

HG

Firewood, medicine

a) Roots: protection against witchcraft; b) Wood: firewood

a) Roots: protection against witchcraft; aphrodisiac; to regulate sex of unborn child; b) Strong medicine to evade or subdue; kunda = to conquer + ndou = elephant referring to the strongest animal; c) Wood: firewood [6, 9].

NCU0042, NCU0081

 Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp)

Munawa

H

N

C

HG

Y

Food, medicine

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; relish eaten with porridge; b) Fruits: eaten with soft porridge and mixed with jugo beans; groundnuts; maize which has been grounded; and the powder of grounded peanuts to make a traditional dish named Tshidzimba

a) Shoots, leaves, and unripe fruits: cooked as a side dish; b) Seeds consumed like other legumes [7].

NCU0183

 Flame Thorn, Flame Acacia (Senegalia alemquerensis (Huber) Seigler & Ebinger.)

Muluwa

Shr

N

W

HG

Firewood, crafts

a) Sapling stems: split into strips and used to make weaving baskets named mufaro which are used to present food for rituals and to serve food for the Khosi²; b) Wood: firewood

a) Roots: Aphrodisiac; b) Flexible saplings: decorticated and longitudinally split into thin; band-like strips for weaving baskets; winnowing and storage baskets; c) branches: hedge fencing around cattle enclosures and homesteads; d) Wood: firewood [6]

NCU0027

 Kiaat, Bloodwood, Paddle-Wood, Sealing-Wax Tree, Transvaal Teak (Pterocarpus angolensis DC)

Mutondo

T

N

W

CL

Domestic utensils, medicine

a) Wood: carving household materials such as dishes; desks and tables; b) Roots: treating sores on the skin¹.

a) Bark: acceleration of blood formation; heavy menstruation; miscarriage; childbirth; piles; menorrhagia; venereal disease; gonorrhoea; haematuria, bilharzia; b) Wood: carving for doors; door frames; spoons; tool handles furniture and other decorative objects; c) Roots: amenorrhoea; headache; venereal diseases; piles; amenorrhoea; haematuria; bilharzias; treat pulsating anterior fontanelle in babies; d) Fruit: whooping cough [6, 9, 55].

NCU0039

 Lowveld Bauhinia (Bauhinia galpinii N.E.Br)

Mutswiriri

Shr

N

C

HG

Food

a) Roots: eaten as food with soft porridge for young babies b) Fruits: edible fruit¹.

a) Roots: used with an infusion of other medicines to make a soft porridge named tshiunza for young babies as their main staple food; diarrhoea; enhanced sexual performance; stomach worms; stomach pain; infertility; b) Saplings: wattles in construction of roofs and courtyard walls; Bark and root: stomach spasm [6, 9, 11].

NCU0001

 Monkey Pod, Eared Senna (Senna petersiana (Bolle) Lock)

Munembenembe

T

N

W

HG, F/W

Food, Medicine

a) Seeds pods: edible and eaten during times of drought or hunger; b) Roots: toothache.

a) Pods: eaten but not very palatable and picked during times of hunger of food shortage; b) Roots: mouthwash and toothache; gonorrhoea; syphilis; stomach ache; sterility and barrenness; dysmenorrhoea; or syncope; epilepsy; asthma; toothache [6, 9, 11].

NCU0137, NCU0169

 Weeping Wattle, African Black Wattle, African Blackwood (Peltophorum africanum Sond)

Musese

T

N

C/W

HG

Y

Firewood, medicine

a) Bark: ulcers on the body; sore throats²; Wood: firewood¹; c) The species is found close to rivers.

a) Bark: anthelmintic; stomach troubles; colds; coughs; chest complaints; eye sicknesses; rash of the tongue in small children; b) Root and bark: intestinal parasites; tuberculosis; c) Caterpillars on the plant are fried and eaten or stored for future use; d) Leaves: used to cover the body during rituals; e) Roots: sores, ulcers, and blisters of the oral cavity; sore throats; venereal disease; f) Entire plant: menorrhagia, [6, 9, 55].

NCU0006, 16, 43, 141, 160

 Big Leaf, Cabbage Tree, Fever Tree, Forest Big-Leaf, Tobacco Tree (Anthocleista grandiflora Gilg)

Mueneene

T

N

C/W

HG

Y

Medicine, cultural

a) Bark: high blood pressure; b) Leaves: used to cover maize grains to encourage germination when malt is prepared; used to cover female bodies during rituals; c) Important for storing water close to rivers.

a) Bark: malaria; diarrhoea; diabetes; high blood pressure; venereal disease; b) Stamped bark soaked in water with seeds; especially cereal grains; to make the grains produce abundantly when sown; c) Leaves: used to cover millet grains to encourage germination when malt is prepared; worn to cover bodies during rituals; nutrition for cattle d) Important water tree [6, 9, 16].

NCU0044

 Avocado Tree (Persea americana Mill.)

Makatapiere

T

E (South Central Mexico)

C

HG

C/N

Y

Food, commercial, medicine, shade, firewood, cultural

a) Fruits: edible fruits; trees are grown in small-scale orchards and sold commercially; b) Leaves and stem: stripped; ground and mixed to make a snuff as well as type of bicarbonate of soda for seasoning vegetables¹; ground and mixed with Amaranthus hybridus to be used as a snuff ingredient¹; c) used to treat diarrhoea¹; d) Wood: firewood¹.

No known records.

NCU0064, 98, 146, 162

 Bladder Hibiscus (Hibiscus Trionum L)

Mandande

H

E (Europe)

W

HG

C/N

Food

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; eaten with porridge and mixed with other vegetables.

a) Leaves: edible vegetables and cooked with porridge [6, 7].

NCU0129, 50

 Cross-berry, Four Corners, Four-Corners (Grewia occidentalis L)

Mulembu

T

N

W

HG

Food

a) Leaves: edible vegetable and eaten with porridge.

a) Leaves: edible vegetable and eaten with porridge; b) Roots: syphilis; venereal disease; bladder ailments [6, 56].

NCU0028

 Cape Ash, Dogplum (Ekebergia capensis Sparrm)

Mutobvuma

T

N

W

HG

Y

Firewood, construction, shade

a) Wood: carving to make drums¹; firewood¹; b) Bark: headaches.

a) Bark: headaches; emetic; heartburn; chest complaints; b) shade and beauty [6, 10].

NCU0011, NCU0052

 Thunder Tree, Forest Mahogany, Forest Natal Mahogany, Cape Mahogany (Trichilia dregeana Sond)

Mutuhu

T

N

C/W

HG

Y

Medicine

a) Bark: STIs such as gonorrhoea and syphilis¹; b) The tree is found in the Chief’s palace and used to guard against bad spirits¹.

a) Fruits: cooked with vegetables as a condiment; eaten with milk; b) Fruits and seed: cooking oil; polishing women’s leather clothes; polish furniture; c) Bark: used as an enema for general cleaning; kidney troubles which cause impotence; d) ornamental; e) Buried close to graveyards to counter erosion when graves are buried [9, 14, 17].

NCU0008

 Kidney Leaf (Cissampelos torulosa E.Mey. ex Harv. & Sond)

Lukandululo

C

N

W

HG

Medicine

a) Leaves and stem: flu¹.

a) Leaves and stem: sthroats; dysentery; diarrhoea; spiritual cleansing; b) Leaves: edible vegetable cooked with other vegetables [6].

NCU0030

 Cape Fig, Broom Cluster Fig, Bush Fig, Cape Wild Fig, Fire Sticks (Ficus sur Forssk)

Muhuyu

T

N

C/W

HG

Food, shade

a) Planted at the Chief’s palace for shade¹; b) Fruits: edible fruits are eaten fresh or dried.

a) Fruit: tuberculosis; b) Root: diarrhoea [6].

NCU0009, 34, 166

 Common Wild Fig (Ficus thonningii Blume)

Muumo

T

N

W

HG

Y

Shade, food

a) Found in the Chief’s palace for shade¹; found at the foot of a mountain; b) Fruits: figs are also eaten when ripe.

a) Fruits: figs are edible when ripe; beverage; b) Latex: used for birdlime; c) semi-parasitic plant growing on the tree is used to treat insanity [6, 13].

NCU0056

 Red-Leaved Rock Fig, Rock Fig (Ficus ingens (Miq.) Miq.)

Tshikululu

T

N

W

HG

Food

a) Fruits: figs are eaten when ripe by humans and animals.

a) Fruits: eaten when ripe but preferred by primates; contains analgesic compounds [6, 10].

NCU0195

 Waterberry Tree (Syzygium cordatum Hoschst.ex C.Krauss)

Mutu

T

N

C/W

HG

Y

Firewood, medicine, shade, drink

a) Found in wetlands and stores water; b) Fruits: beverage; c) Leaves and roots: aids stomach digestion; d) Bark: sore throats¹; e) Fruits: eaten when ripe; f) Wood: firewood¹.

a) Fruit: eaten when ripe; b) Leaves: treating for stomach aches; colds and fevers; c) Leaves and bark: diarrhoea; wounds; d) Roots: headache, amenorrhoea [6, 9, 56].

NCU0045, 58, 88, 159, 161

 Woodland Waterberry, Waterpear (Syzygium guineense (Willd.) DC)

Mutawi

T

N

W

CL

Food

a) Fruits: ripened fruits; b) Found in forests and mountains.

a) Fruits: edible fruits are used by young people [6].

NCU0041

 Red Guava (Psidium guajava L.)

Mugwavha

T

E (Central and South America)

C/W

HG

I

Domestic utensils, food, drink, medicine

a) Fruits: beverage; jelly; b) Leaves: stop bleeding wounds; c) Stem: brooms¹

a) Fruit: food; b) Whole plant: shade tree; c) Roots, leaves, bark: wounds; venereal disease [9, 14, 15].

NCU0117, 135, 32, 66, 110, 149, 167

 Yellow-peeling tree (Brackenridgea zanguebarica Oliv)

Mutavhatsindi

T

N

W

F/W

Medicine

a) Roots, stem, bark and leaves: medicine to protect homesteads and territories from enemies; b) Bark: Added to other medicines to enhance its potency¹.

a) Roots: wounds; swollen ankles; amenorrhoea, worms; mental illness b) Roots, stem, bark, and leaves: used magically to protect homesteads and territories; c) The species discourage opponents in sporting events; offers protection against witchcraft; protects people [6, 9, 10, 57, 58].

Mentioned in survey but species specimen not collected.

 Blue Sour Plum, Tallow Wood (Ximenia americana L. var. microphylla Welw. ex Oliv)

Mutuanzwa

T

N

W

HG

Medicine, food

a) Fruits: edible when ripe; b) Bark or powder of the root bark is used to treat diarrhoea.

a) Fruits: eaten when ripe; beverage; b) Bark: remedy for dysentery in children; diarrhoea and febrifuge in adults; c) Semi parasite or epiphyte associated with this plant; used to attract people who do want to return home from their places of work far away; d) Roots: menorrhagia, infertility; venereal disease, headache due to indigestion, blood in faeces, cough, eye diseases [6, 9, 13].

NCU0089

 Fishtail Sorrel, Transvaal Sorrel (Oxalis semiloba Sond)

Mukulungwane

H

N

W

HG

Y

Food

a) Leaves: chewed to remove a foul taste in the mouth.

a) Leaves: chewed by a person suffering from a tart or sour feeling in the mouth; usually after eating unripe fruit; b) Whole plant or leaves: treatment of haemorrhoids; eye frops [6, 11].

NCU0101

 Devil’s Thorn (Dicerocaryum eriocarpum (Decne) Abels)

Museto

H

N

W

HG

Medicine

a) Thorn: rub along the gums to encourage teeth to develop in young children¹.

a) Leaves: expulsion of placenta and easy delivery; b) Leaves and stem: soap substitute; quicken the expulsion of hanging placenta in cattle and humans; important medicine for a blood disease in cattle known as mali (black quarter evil) [6, 9, 10, 12].

NCU0188

 Coastal Goldenlead (Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill)

Munzere

T

N

C/W

HG

Y

Food, medicine

a) Fruits: edible fruits are eaten and are black in colour; b) Found close to rivers and cultivated fields; c) Bark: bolsters the immune system².

a) Leaves: eaten when ripe; b) Bark: burns; gonorrhoea; venereal disease; infected wounds; toothache; abortion; c) Long straight branches are laid across the rivers to make bridges; building huts; d) Roots and bark: stomach aches; tapeworms [6, 9, 55].

NCU0004, 15, 165

 Forest InkBerry (Phytolacca octandra L)

Thebe

H

E (North America)

W

HG

Food, commercial

a) Leaves and roots: cooked together and eaten with porridge; b) Leaves: eaten dry to make a type of biltong to be eaten during the winter months²; also during times of drought and hunger²; species is commercialised and sold in informal markets².

a) Leaves: cooked and eaten with porridge; spice; b) Leaves and shoots: dried; burnt and mixed with a snuff to serve as a stimulant as well as to give flavour [6].

NCU0017, 37, 48, 127, 132, 145, 153

 Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)

Nkhwe

G

E (Asia)

C

HG

Food, cultural

a) Seeds: ground into a powder and used in a ritual as an offering to the ancestors in a ‘biting ritual’ named u luma indicating the season for ripening of the first vegetables or fruits¹.

a) Stem: cultivated for their sweet stems [59].

NCU0096

 Starstalk (Oxygonum dregeanum Meisn.)

Muthanyi

H

N

W

HG

Food

a) Leaves: edible vegetable eaten with soft porridge.

a) Leaves: edible vegetable; spice; b) Leaves and shoots: dried; burnt; mixed with snuff to serve as a stimulant and to give flavour [6]

NCU0192

 Broad-Leaved Boekenhout (Faurea saligna Harv)

Mutango

T

N

C

HG

Household utensils, crafts

a) Wood: used to construct household utensils and crafts

a) Leaves: used to treat divhu or devhu; an illness suffered by a man who had sexual intercourse with a woman after an abortion or miscarriage; b) Bark: vagina ulcers; used to wood: workable and durable; c) Roots and bark: venereal disease; bilharzia; d) Roots: cough [6, 9, 33].

NCU0083

 Macademia Tree (Macadamia ternifolia F.Muell)

Mutevu

T

E (Australia)

C

CL

Food

a) Nuts: ground into a powder and eaten with vegetables and porridge¹.

No known records

 False Buffalo Thorn, River Jujube (Ziziphus rivularis Codd)

Mulalantsa

T

N

C/W

HG

Firewood, Food, Medicine

a) Bark: harvested from the eastern and western sides of the plant¹; ground and used to treat sores on the skin¹; b) Fruits: eaten fresh or dried and sometimes eaten with porridge¹; c) Wood: firewood¹.

No known records

NCU0122

 Rock-Alder (Afrocanthium mundianum (Cham. & Schltdl.) Lantz)

Mutomboti

T

N

W

HG

Food

a) Fruits: edible fruit is known as thomboti.

a) Fruits: edible fruits; b) Leaves: remedy for illness known as divhu (a disease caused by sexual intercourse with a woman who has had an abortion or miscarriage) [17].

NCU0025

 Strawberry Bush, Quinine Berry, Far Far Tree (Cephalanthus natalensis Oliv)

Murondo

T

N

W

HG

Food

a) Fruits: ripened fruit is eaten.

a) Fruits: eaten when ripe; b) Leaves: eye problems in cattle [6, 10, 12].

NCU0172

 Wild Medlar (Vangueria infausta Burch. subsp. infausta)

Muzwilu

T

N

W

HG

Food, medicine

a) Fruits: eaten when ripe or dried; b) Stem: short sticks are crafted from the stem and nailed to the fence of the yard and are thought to protect the homestead.

a) Fruits: eaten fresh or dried; also enjoyed with milk when soaked in water; b) Roots and bark: enhance fertility in women; c) Sticks: nailed all around the fence of a yard to protect the homestead; d) Roots: ulcers in the oral cavity [6, 9].

NCU0031, 35

 Wild Oleander, African Teak (Breonadia salicina (Vahl) Hepper & J.R.I. Wood)

Mutulume

T

N

C/W

HG

Y

Cultural

a) Tree used to store water¹; b) Vhavenda proverb: when you are chased by a lion who catches your foot; you pull away; it does not come out; like the root of the mutulume¹.

a) Roots: tachycardia [9]

NCU0010

 Adelaide Spice Tree, Small Knobwood (Zanthoxylum capense (Thunb.) Harv)

Munungu

T

N

C/W

HG

Y

Medicine

a) Bark: ground and licked to treat common colds and flu.

a) Roots and stem bark: sore throats; chest complaints; boils; pimples and blood poisoning [6].

NCU0055

 Lemon Tree (Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck)

Tshikavhavhe

T

E (Asia)

C

HG

C/N

Food

a) Leaves: used to make a tea which can be drunk and used as a medicine for stomach ache and menstrual pain¹.

a) Roots: Venereal disease [6, 9].

NCU0074

 Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn)

Nombelo

T

E (Asia)

C

HG

Food, drink

a) Fruits: eaten during times of hunger²; used to make a juice and alcoholic beverage

No known records

NCU0072, NCU0163

 Red Milkwood (Mimusops zeyheri Sond)

Mububulu

T

N

W

HG

Y

Food, drink

Fruits: eaten when ripe and sometimes soaked in milk to make a milkshake.

a) Fruits: edible when ripe; can be soaked in milk or water to make a beverage; dried and stored for future use; b) Root and stem bark: abdominal complaints [6, 13].

NCU0033

 Wild Plum, Transvaal Milk Plum (Englerophytum magalismontanum (Sond.) T.D Penn)

Munombelo

T

N

W

HG, CL

Y

Firewood, domestic utensils, commercial, food, medicine

a) Wood: cooking spoons; firewood¹; b) Fruits: eaten when ripe; good for nutrition for children; beverage from the fruits used to relieve constipation; c) Species is found near wetlands.

a) Fruits: edible; juice; fermented beverage; b) Roots: remedy for abdominal pains; c) A semi parasite or lichen of this plant is used as an ingredient of medicines; prepared and burn to invoke ancestral spirits during malombo (Vhasenzi) or mbila (Vhalemba) cults [6, 13].

NCU0038, 61, 86

 Black or Common Nightshade (Solanum nigrum L)

Muxe

H

E (Europe)

W

HG

Food

a) Leaves: cooked and eaten with porridge and other vegetables.

a) Leaves: cooked and eaten with porridge; with meat or other vegetables; malaria and dysentery; anal are a known analgesic effects on toothache; b) used as a cholagogue; c) Roots and leaves: wounds [6, 7, 15].

NCU0108

 White Stinkwood (Celtis africana Burm. f)

Mumvumvu

T

N

C

HG

Y

Medicine

a) Stem of branches: used to make magical sticks which are driven into the ground to protect against witchcraft.

a) Bark: magical properties; nose and ear drops; toothache; b) Branches: used to protect the homestead [6, 9].

NCU0106

 Fever Tea, Lemon Bush (Lippia javanica (Burm.f.) Spreng))

Musudzungwane

Shr

N

W

HG

Domestic utensils, medicine

a) Leaves: used to make a tea which is used to treat common colds and to boost immunity; leaves are crushed and sniffed to treat nose bleeds and used as appendages to block nose bleeds¹; mosquito repellent; malaria; b) Stems: brooms¹.

a) Leaves: coughs; flu and headaches; general body sickness; malaria; dysentery; diarrhoea; anthelmintic; asthma; tick toxicant; b) Roots: burnt and pounded to produce a medicine that is applied cuts and sprained joints; dislocated joints [6, 9, 12, 13, 60]

NCU0093, 124

 Mountain Nettle (Obetia tenax Friis)

Muvhazwi

H

N

C/W

HG, CL

Food, medicine

a) Leaves: cooked and eaten with porridge as a nutritious meal; b) Stem: used to treat snake bite wounds.

a) Leaves: cooked and eaten with porridge; b) An epiphyte or semi parasite growing on the plant is used for treating snake bite; c) Bark: source of fibre cordage; ox-whips; mats; thatching; game traps; and sieves for straining beer [6, 7].

NCU0097, NCU0143

 Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica L)

Dzaluma

H

E (Europe, Asia, Western, Northern Africa)

W

HG

Food

a) Leaves cooked and seasoned with salt; fresh tomatoes are added to make the relish which is then eaten with porridge

a) Leaves: cooked and eaten with porridge [7].

NCU0018, 23, 50, 75, 128

 Bird’s Brandy, Bird’s Beer (Lantana rugosa Thunb)

Tshidzimbambule

Shr

N

W

HG

Food

a) Fruits: the purple berries are eaten when ripe.

a) Fruits: eaten when ripe; b) Leaves and stem: treat troublesome eyes; c) Leaves: bronchial infections; abdominal complaints; anti-emetic; eye injuries d) Roots: fever [6, 9, 11].

NCU0036, NCU0173

 Wild Grapes (Rhoicissus tomentosa (Lam.) Wild & R.B.Drumm)

Ndirivhe

C

E (Europe)

C

HG

Food

a) Fruits: consumed for food.

a) Fruits: preferred by monkeys but is also eaten by people in Vhavenda; usually eaten out of hunger because it is not very palatable and has a sickly sweet taste; quenches thirst when eaten [6]

NCU0091