Whitfieldia elongata
(P.Beauv.) De Wild. & T.Durand
Acanthaceae
Ruellia elongata P.Beauv.
Whitfieldia longiflora S.Moore
Whitfieldia longifolia perglabra (C.B.Clarke) Hutch. & Dalziel
Whitfieldia perglabra C.B.Clarke
Whitfieldia subviridis C.B.Clarke
Whitfieldia tanganyikensis C.B.Clarke
Common Name:
Flowering plant in the Palmengarten, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Photograph by: Daderot
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
Flowering plant in the Palmengarten, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Photograph by: Daderot
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
Cultivated plant in the Jardin Botanique de Lyon, Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon, France
Photograph by: Daderot
Public domain
General Information
Whitfieldia elongata is a shrub that can be erect or semi-scandent, with stems up to 3 - 5 metres long[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
It is sometimes gathered from the wild for local medicinal use, as a dye and for its wood. An ornamental plant, it is sometimes grown as a house plant in cooler regions of the world.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
Tropical Africa - Nigeria to Sudan, south to Angola and Tanzania.
Habitat
Rainforests[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Properties
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Shrub |
| Height | 4.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Prefers light to moderately heavy shade.
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
The leaves are pulped up after being passed through a fire and then used as an embrocation in the treatment of bronchitis[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
]. This same preparation is also eaten as a vegetable by women as an aid to conception[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
]. A leaf-decoction in palm wine is drunk in the treatment of stomach-complaints and as a remedy to food-poisoning[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Other Uses
The leaves yield a black dye[
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.
,
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
The stems are used to make spinning spindles[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
