Ethnobotanical survey of wild vegetables in Mbashe and Nkonkobe municipalities, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Figures & data

Figure 1. Map of South Africa showing location of Alice and Willowvale in the Eastern Cape.

Table 1. Wild vegetables used in the Mbashe and Nkonkobe Municipalities, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Scientific name	Vernacular name (Xhosa)	Herbarium voucher	Habit	Part used and preparation
Amaryllidaceae family
Tulbaghia violacea Harv.	Itswele lomlambo	BVE11/021	Herb	Leaves and bulbs are mixed with tomatoes as a replacement for onions to make a soup or to cook with other vegetables.
Amaranthaceae family
Amaranthus blitoides S. Watson	Unomdlomboyi	BVE11/001	Herb	Fresh leaves are cooked with onions and tomatoes and served with pap, mashed pumpkins, rice or bread.
Amaranthus blitum L.	Unomdlomboyi	BVE11/002	Herb	Shoots are cooked with onions and tomatoes and served with bread or pap.
Amaranthus hybridus L.	Unomdlomboyi	BVE11/003	Herb	Shoots are cooked with onions and tomatoes and served with bread or pap.
Chenopodium album L.	Imbikicane ebomvu	BVE11/007	Herb	Spices are added to boiled fresh leaves, eaten alone or served with rice, bread or pap (thick mealie meal porridge).
Chenopodium murale L.	Umfanuthenkqi	BVE11/008	Herb	Shoots are boiled in water, mixed with spinach or cabbage and served with any starchy food.
Apiaceae family
Centella coriacea Nannfd.	Unongotyozane	BVE11/005	Herb	Tender and fresh leaves are boiled in water and mixed with samp (dried and crushed corn kernels) or mealie meal to make into a slightly thick porridge. The leaves may also be eaten in raw form or in salads.
Asteraceae family
Bidens pilosa L.	Umhlabangubo	BVE11/004	Herb	Cut shoots are boiled in milk to reduce bitterness and spices added. They are served with any starchy food or eaten alone. Serving it alone is good especially for the sick.
Cotula heterocarpa DC.	Unondlabiyele	BVE11/009	Creeping herb	Young leaves and stems are boiled in water till soft and samp or mealie meal added with more water to cook until it becomes a porridge.
Galinsoga parviflora Cav.	Iindevu zomlungu	BVE11/011	Herb	Fresh and young leaves are cut and mixed with other wild vegetables, boiled, then spices are added; they are cooked until done. They are served alone or with pap or rice.
Hypochaeris radicata L.	Unokrengezi	BVE11/012	Herb	Shoots and flowers are cooked with onions and tomatoes and served with any starchy food. Raw flowers may also be mixed with lettuce and eaten in salads.
Sonchus oleraceus L.	Ihlaba	BVE11/018	Herb	Freshly cut leaves are cooked with fried onions and tomatoes until they are ready. They are either mixed with samp or mealie meal or eaten alone. Fresh leaves can also be eaten raw as a salad or snack.
Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg	Irhaba	BVE11/020	Herb	Young and fresh leaves are boiled in water until tender. Oil and salt are added. They are served either alone or with any starchy food. Roots are also dried, baked, percolated and used as a substitute for coffee.
Brassicaceae family
Sisymbrium thellungii O.E. Schulz	Isqwashumbe	BVE11/016	Herb	Shoots are cut and mixed with onions and tomatoes and served with pap or mixed with samp or mealie meal to make a slightly thick porridge
Caryophyllaceae family
Stellaria media L.	Impontshane	BVE11/019	Creeping herb	Young leaves, stems and flowers are boiled in water until they are cooked and onions, tomatoes and seasoning added and served with rice or bread.
Convolvulaceae family
Ipomoea batatas L.	Imbatata	BVE11/013	Cree ping herb	Tubers are boiled in water until they are soft and served with tea. Fresh leaves can also be cooked with onions and tomatoes and mixed with other vegetables such as cabbage and spinach and served with the tubers or mashed potatoes.
Cucurbitaceaea family
Cucurbita pepo L.	Imithwane	BVE11/ 010	Creeping herb	Fresh leaves and young pumpkins are cut and boiled in water. Cooking oil, onions, tomatoes, cooked potatoes and powdered soup are added. This is served alone and is especially healthy for young children. May also be served with rice or pap (thick mealie porridge)
Malvaceae Family
Corchorus olitorius L.	Imifino	BVE11/008	Herb	Fresh leaves are boiled in water with bicarbonate soda, onions and tomatoes and seasoning added. These are cooked until they are slimy and served especially with pap. It’s good for the sick who have difficulties swallowing food.
Polygonaceae family
Rumex crispus L.	Idolo Lenkonyane	BVE11/015	Herb	Young leaves are boiled in milk and mixed with mealie meal to make porridge and served. Seasoning may also be added to improve the taste.
Solanaceae family
Physalis peruviana L.	Iguzu	BVE11/014	Herb	Shoots are boiled or fried with onion and tomatoes, seasoning is added and served with bread, rice, pap or samp. Berries are harvested when they turn orange (especially by young boys) and are eaten uncooked.
Solanum nigrum L.	Umsobo	BVE11/017	Herb	Cut fresh shoots are boiled together with spinach or cabbage, cooking oil and seasoning are added and served with any starchy food. If cooked alone, milk is added to reduce bitterness. When the berries turn purple black, they are harvested and eaten fresh or used to make jam.
Urticaceae family
Urtica urens L.	Urhawu	BVE11/022	Herb	Fresh and cut leaves are fried with onions and tomatoes, then cooked potatoes are added together with seasoning. Served al one or with any starch food. Care needs to be taken when handling the leaves because the whole plant is very irritating to the skin.

Table 2. Frequency and area of mention of wild vegetables among females and male informants of Mbashe (Willowvale) and Nkonkobe (Alice) Municipalities, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Wild vegetable	Females (%)	Males (%)	Alice	Willowvale
Amaranthus blitoides S. Watson	97	45
Amaranthus blitum L.	97	45
Amaranthus hybridus L.	97	45
Bidens pilosa L.	9	3
Centella coriacea Nannf.	18	0
Chenopodium album L.	21	3
Chenopodium murale L.	21	3
Corchorus olitorius L.	9	0
Cotula heterocarpa DC.	6	0
Cucurbita pepo L.	39	21
Galinsoga parviflora Cav	9	0
Hypochaeris radicata L.	18	0
Ipomoea batatas L.	24	12
Physalis peruviana L.	9	3
Rumex crispus L.	12	0
Sisymbrium thellungii O.E. Schulz	18	0
Solanum nigrum L.	94	33
Sonchus oleraceus L.	36	18
Stellaria media L.	6	0
Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg	21	6
Tulbaghia violacea Harv.	27	0
Urtica urens L.	21	9

Indicates the area where the wild vegetable was identified.

Indicates the community that identified the wild vegetable’s medicinal properties.

Table 3. Medicinal uses and seasonal availability of wild vegetables in Mbashe and Nkonkobe Municipalities, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Scientific name	Xhosa name	Medicinal use	Summer	Winter
Amaranthus blitoides S. Watson	Unomdlomboyi	n/a
Amaranthus blitum L.	Unomdlomboyi	n/a
Amaranthus hybridus L.	Unomdlomboyi	Leaves used to treat chest
Bidens pilosa L.	Umhlabangubo	Leaves used to treat stomach ailments and influenza
Centella coriacea Nannf.	Unongotyozane	n/a
Chenopodium album L.	Imbikicane ebomvu	Leaves treat diarrhoea, purify the blood and improve digestion
Chenopodium murale L.	Umfanuthenkqi	Leaves used to treat asthma, purify the blood and improve digestion
Corchorus olitorius L.	Imifino	n/a
Cotula heterocarpa DC.	Unondlabiyele	n/a
Cucurbita pepo L.	Imithwane	n/a
Galinsoga parviflora Cav	Iindevu zomlungu	n/a
Hypochaeris radicata L.	Unokrengezi	n/a
Ipomoea batatas L.	Imbatata	n/a
Physalis peruviana L.	Iguzu	n/a
Rumex crispus L.	Idolo Lenkonyane	Roots are ground and the juice is orally ingested to treat arthritis
Sisymbrium thellungii O.E. Schulz	Isqwashumbe	Facilitates digestion
Solanum nigrum L.	Umsobo	Paste from unripe berries used to treat ringworm; leaves used to treat diarrhoea in children and dysentery
Sonchus oleraceus L.	Ihlaba	Juice from the leaves used to treat wounds and ulcers
Stellaria media L.	Impontshane	n/a
Taraxacum officinale Weber	Irhaba	n/a
Tulbaghia violacea Harv.	Itswele lomlambo	Crushed leaves treat sinus headaches, coughs and colds. Also used as an aphrodisiac, a mosquito repellent in the house and planted around the home and/or houses to act as a snake repellent
Urtica urens L.	Urhawu	Leaves used to treats hypertension, diabetes and arthritis

Table 4. Use values* of wild vegetables used in the Mbashe and Nkonkobe Municipalities, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

	Total	Food	Medicinal	Ritual
Amaranthus spp.	2.79	1.39	0.09	0.00
Bidens pilosa	0.15	0.12	0.03	0.00
Centella coriacea	0.18	0.18	0.00	0.00
Chenopodium spp.	0.30	0.18	0.09	0.00
Corchorus olitorius	0.09	0.09	0.00	0.00
Cotula heterocarpa	0.06	0.06	0.00	0.00
Cucurbita pepo	0.61	0.61	0.00	0.00
Galinsoga parviflora	0.09	0.09	0.00	0.00
Hypochaeris radicata	0.18	0.18	0.00	0.00
Ipomoea batatas	0.36	0.36	0.00	0.00
Physalis peruviana	0.12	0.12	0.00	0.00
Rumex crispus	0.21	0.12	0.09	0.00
Sisymbrium thellungii	0.27	0.18	0.09	0.00
Solanum nigrum	1.39	1.27	0.12	0.00
Sonchus oleraceus	0.64	0.55	0.09	0.00
Stellaria media	0.06	0.06	0.00	0.00
Taraxacum officinale	0.27	0.27	0.00	0.00
Tulbaghia violacea	0.58	0.27	0.15	0.27
Urtica urens	0.52	0.30	0.21	0.00

* Use values were calculated according to the method of Phillips and Gentry (1993).

Phillips, O., and A.H. Gentry. 1993. “The useful plants of Tambopata, Peru: II Additional hypothesis testing in quantitative Ethnobotany.” Economic Botany 47: 33–43.

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