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Useful Tropical Plants

Rothmannia whitfieldii

(Lindl.) Dandy

Rubiaceae

+ Synonyms

Gardenia malleifera Hook.

Gardenia whitfieldii Lindl.

Genipa malleifera (Hook.) Baill.

Randia cuvelierana De Wild.

Randia eetveldiana De Wild. & T.Durand

Randia homblei De Wild.

Randia malleifera (Hook.) Hook.f.

Randia malleiflora Walp.

Randia stolzii K.Schum. & K.Krause

Rothmannia eetveldiana (De Wild. & T.Durand) Fagerl.

Rothmannia malleifera (Hook.) Benth.

Common Name:

Rothmannia whitfieldii
Ripening fruit
Photograph by: Carel Jongkind
Creative Commons License
Rothmannia whitfieldii Rothmannia whitfieldii Rothmannia whitfieldii Rothmannia whitfieldii Rothmannia whitfieldii

General Information

Rothmannia whitfieldii is an evergreen shrub or small tree that can grow up to 15 metres tall.
A popular dye plant in the regions where it grows wild. The plant is also gathered from the wild for a number of local medical applications. An attractive ornamental plant with potential for the garden, it is particularly valued for its large, pendulous, sweet-scented, white or brownish-white flowers[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.

Range

Tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Sudan, south to Angola, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

Habitat

Forest undergrowth, often in old secondary forest, but also in savannah woodland, at elevations up to 1,700 metres[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *
Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height10.00 m
Cultivation StatusOrnamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The charred fruits are used to strengthen palm wine[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Medicinal

The plant is considered to possess febrifugal, anti-diarrhoeic and oxytocic properties[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

The fruit juice is applied externally to promote healing in a range of skin conditions including leprous areas; sores; eczema, especially on the toes; and wounds[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Drinking cold water in which chips of the root bark have been steeped provokes abundant expectoration and is used to give relief for asthma sufferers[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The root ash is used as a cicatrizant on wounds and to treat eczema on the toes[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Other Uses

The inky sap is used for dyeing the skin[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].


The fruit juice and fresh seeds contain a blue-black dye, which is widely used in tropical Africa to dye or decorate cloth; as a cosmetic for body decoration; to mark an outline for tattooing; to rub into tribal markings in the skin to make them more conspicuous; and as an ink[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. The dye is said to be permanent[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
To obtain the dye, the fruit is heated on a fire then crushed. The black liquid obtained can be mixed up with charcoal powder for drawing designs[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. The colour can be changed to greyish-blue by adding lemon juice on the entire dyed cloth or on some designs only[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. The dye is sometimes mixed together with dye prepared from the pods and seeds of Piliostigma thonningii[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

The wood is hard and used for hoe-handles[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-29. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Rothmannia+whitfieldii>

Comments

nnorom onyekachi o 09th December 2014 21:51
This plant is also found in the eastern part of Nigeria. In addition to being used for body decoration by women(a practice not in vogue anymore), it was also used medicinally for the cure of measles.

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