The potential of south african indigenous plants for the. Cape, eastern cape, southern kwazulunatal, southeastern part of the free. The large number of plant species in this region ca. As it is sparsely branched and throws little shade, many plants and lawn grass will grow underneath i. Jun 29, 2017 around 10% of the worlds flowering species are found in south africa, the only country in the world with an entire plant kingdom inside its borders. Traditional medicines and traditional healers in south africa. There is increasing scientific evidence that supports the claims by the traditional healers. Impacts of invasive plants on animal diversity in south africa. Common edible plants of africa 1 domesticates geographical distribution morphologydescription common, edible fruits oil palm elaeis guineensis tropical africa, cannot tolerate full shade, but prefers disturbed habitats5 west african origins, but has spread throughout tropical africa6, a tree.
Around 80% of the south african population use traditional medicines to meet their primary health care needs. South africa is recognised as one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. Medicinal plants of south africa the first edition of this book, published in 2002, deservedly won the 2003 noma award for publishing in africa, where the jurys report described it as a beautifully produced and illustrated book presented in a clear, concise, and welllaid out manner. Pdf guide to plant families of southern africa researchgate. In south africa, african ginger is distributed in mpumalanga and limpopo. South africa has a broad range of biomes and ecosystems that give these native plants a habitat. A soil temperature of between 20 and 22 oc and air temperature of around 20 oc are suitable. Until 2020, the market for solar thermal power plants will show annual doubledigit growth rates and attain a volume of over eur20 billion, with two of the primary focal growth regions being south africa and north africa. Rebelo, south african national biodiversity institute, cape town, rsa. Even though most of these plants are endemic and consequently threatened and vulnerable to. The booklet is a guide to the most commonly utilised. Department of plant sciences, university of the free state.
The use of medicinal plants for the management of diabetes mellitus is on the rise in the developing countries, including south africa. Antidiabetic medicinal plants used by the basotho tribe of. This category contains the native flora of south africa. This paper will argue for the inclusion of traditional healers in south africas response to hivaids.
The venda region of south africa, situated in the far north of the country, and whichstill remainsmost rural in character, has a very. The abolishment of apartheid opened doors to its full participation in global markets. A61k 3600 plants have played a great role in the history of humankind1. This website celebrates the plants of southern africa. The case study has had a spatial focus on the kwazulunatal province in south africa, and.
The opportunity for bioprospecting of plant compounds for novel. In south africa, aloe ferox is distributed throughout the western. Domesticates geographical distribution morphologydescription. A preliminary inventory of plants used for psychoactive. In south africa, the majority of people especially in rural communities still depend, to a large extent, on medicinal plants to treat skin disorders 1420. A preliminary inventory of plants used for psychoactive purposes in southern african healing traditions j. Traditional medicineis wellestablishedin south africa asa recognized form of healing, with the different communities using a widevariety of plants for the treatment of various ailments samie et al. Botanical society of south africa in collaboration with a network of. South africa is home to over 22,000 different species of plants that are ordered into 2,180 genuses of 227 plant families. Each week we bring you two new plants of the week and the information library contains hundreds of articles about southern africa plants and related topics. Undoubtedly, medicinal plants and the drugs derived from them constitute great economic and strategic value for the african continent. These range from the fine grasses of the free state province and scrubby bushes of the karoo region to the dense greenery of the garden route forests and the mountain plains of the countrys inland south africa is home to more than 22 000 indigenous seed plants from almost 230 different families. Sobiecki department of anthropology and development studies, rand afrikaans university, po box 524, auckland park, 2006, south africa, email. South african plants what kind of plants live in south.
It grows best in a welldrained, red and yellowishbrown soil rich in organic matter. Southern africa has a total of 225 plant families with the 52 largest families covering over 90% of the flora. The flowering plants of south africa series was started in 1921 to showcase the. Secondary roots and rhizomes climatic and soil requirements.
The xhosas are the major group inhabitants of the former transkei region of the eastern cape of south africa which is one of the. South african medicinal plants collection by claire grant. The potential of south african indigenous plants for the international. South africa is the home of a large number of indigenous plants. The spectacular diversity of south africas flora makes a singlevolume field guide to the countrys wild flowers a mouthwatering prospect for the amateur plant. Commercially important medicinal plants of south africa. Poisonous plants plants most commonly recorded poisoning people mainly children in south africa datura stramonium stinkblaar seed the flowers are succeeded by large, egg shaped seed capsules of a green colour, about the size of a large walnut and covered with numerous sharp it exhales a rank, very heavy and somewhat. It is well developed over the lowveld and kalahari region of south africa and is also the dominant vegetation in neighboring botswana, namibia and zimbabwe. Most indigenous pot plants should be able to grow throughout south africa. Although probably best known for kruger national park and its enviable populations of megafauna such as rhinos, elephants, giraffes and lions, south africa has even more to offer. Comparison of fertilizer and crop prices 29 list of tables 1. The current publication, the fourth edition in the series, has been expanded to include data on life cycle, life form.
An ethnobotanical survey of plants used for the treatment of tuberculosis tb was carried out in selected areas of the eastern cape. Medicinal plants of south africa department of agriculture. These range from the fine grasses of the free state province and scrubby bushes of the karoo region to the dense greenery of the garden route forests and the mountain plains of the. This is the case in peach, apricot and prune kernels, which may frequently contain dangerous amounts. South africa boasts a world of plants that are both fascinating and beautiful. Medicinal plants and traditional practices of xhosa people. This includes evaluations using categories and criteria adopted by the iucn in 1994 and updated in 2000 for assessing the risk of extinction. The world geographical scheme for recording plant distributions wgsrpd does not recognize south africa as a whole, instead dividing it into four regions. We have a treasure trove of edible and medicinal plants within our rich plant kingdom in south africa.
The savanna biome is the largest biome in southern africa, occupying 46% of its area, and over onethird the area of south africa. Though many people imagine south africa to be a land of endless grasslands and savannahs, the country is the only one on earth which completely contains an entire plant kingdom, the cape floristic. Search results environmental information service namibia. Medicinal plants used for the treatment of various skin. Concentrated solar power csp in south africa helioscsp. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life jean giraudoux. Acacia gerrardii varchellia gerrardii is a hardy, fairly fastgrowing, droughtresistant, deciduous acacia. University taxonomists produce books to a lesser extent, but notable are publications such as medicinal plants of south africa van wyk et al. It has a long, straight stem that starts branching high up to form a flattish crown. For example, dni direct normal irradiance values of up to 2900 kwhm2a are not unusual in some areas in south africa.
Ethnomedicine, medicinal plants, south africa, traditional systems, transkei, xhosa ipc int. These extracts are used as inputs in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, insecticide and other chemical industries. Medicinal plants used for the traditional management of. The use and cultivation of indigenous bulbs, including largescale production for exports, were boosted in south africa by hadeco barnhoorn, 1995. Africa has a long and impressive list of medicinal plants based on local knowledge. Flowering plants of africa 65 2017 biodiversity advisor sanbi. Subsequently, the name was changed to the flowering plants of africa fpa from volume xxv in 19451946. South africa is exceptionally rich in geophytes manning et al. There is a growing interest in natural plantbased remedies as a source for commercial products. Precis includes all indigenous and naturalised plants recorded from the same area as the flora of south ern africa namibia, botswana, south africa.
Pdf threatened plants of gauteng, south africa janine. Overview on medicinal plants and traditional medicine in. South africa has an incredible diversity in plant life for a country of 463,000 square miles. It is important to know what part of the plant to use and how it can be used for culinary concoctions. Traditional herbal remedies used by south african women for. Marketing of indigenous medicinal plants in south africa food and. South african plant life south africa accommodation. These plants account for 95% of all the electricity produced in south africa and 45% of all electricity produced on the african continent. Eighteen plant species were documented as being used to induce abortion, which represents 12% of the medicinal plants listed. Medicinal plants are plants which are used in herbalism and thought to have certain extractablecompound in their leaves, stems, flowers and fruit for medicinal purposes. This is not surprising, as south africa is home to over 24, 000 higher plants species with approximately 3000 plant species been recorded by various.
In the cooler very frosty parts of south africa plants close to windows may be subject to frostbite. South africa is the third most biodiverse country in the world and inhabitants have for centuries employed the help of indigenous medicinal plants. Most indigenous potplants should be able to grow throughout south africa. A part, or parts of a plant may be poisonous, whilst the remainder may be harmless and may even form part of the human or animal diet. It will also argue that more resources should be channelled towards research. Southern africa has the richest temperate flora in the world and encompasses a rich floristic diversity of approximately 24 000 taxa species and infraspecific taxa of 368 families, including more than 10% of the worlds vascular plant flora on less than. Impacts of invasive plants on animal diversity in south. Ethnobotanical survey of sotho medicinal plants used in the management of diabetes in the eastern free state, south africa honours dissertation qwaqwa, south africa. The red data list status of threatened plants of gauteng, south africa is presented. Marketing of indigenous medicinal plants in south africa. The flowering plants of south africa series was started in 1921 to showcase the botanical gems of nature and stimulate the study and cultivation of our wild flowers. Despite the wealth of south african flower bulb species, relatively few have. The chemicals industry in south africa built upon the nations abundant coal reserves, south africas chemicals industry spent much of the 20th century isolated from world trade. Browse 1,4,000 global plant names, 94,200 detailed descriptions, and 206,700 images with an initial focus on tropical africa.
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