Common Name:

General Information

Flemingia grahamiana is a much-branched, erect, or occasionally subscandent, perennial herbaceous plant or sometimes a scarcely woody subshrub; it can grow from 30 - 180cm tall. The stems are at first silky greyish or fulvous hairy, later becoming glabrescent[, ]. The plant has deep growing, sometimes tuberous roots[, ].
The fruit of this species is one of the principal sources of a very popular Arab dye called 'waras', 'wars' or 'warus'. Waras is a coarse purple or brilliant orange-brown powder. The plant has been cultivated as a dye and medicinal plant since ancient times in the Yemen. Formerly it was also cultivated in Ethiopia and the dye was exported to Yemen[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Africa - Ghana, Central African Republic, Sudan Eritrea, Ethiopia, south through E. Africa to S. Africa; Asia - India, China, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam

Habitat

Grassland, grassland with scattered trees; Brachystegia woodland; sometimes near swamps and streams; rocky places; mushitu vegetation; lake shore margins; dambo; miombo; chipya woodlands; hillsides; termite mounds; at elevations to 2,100 metre[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Species in this genus generally succeed in sunny and partially shady positions so long as the soil is well-drained[].
The first fruits can be harvested after about one year after the seed is sown[]
After picking the fruits, the shrub is cut down at about 15cm from ground level. It sprouts again after rain, and bears fruits a second time after about six months. The cutting back is repeated every second year until the plant dies[].
Rain destroys the fruits for commercial purposes; therefore they are only gathered in the dry season. The harvested fruits are first dried (some days in the sun), put in a bag, which then is beaten to loosen the tinctorial powder. Alternatively the fruits are rubbed over a sieve[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

The tuberous root is said to be edible[]. Rich in starch[].

Medicinal

A root decoction is drunk as a treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery[, ].

The plant is used internally as a purgative and as a treatment for colds[, , ]
It is applied topically as a treatment against skin diseases[, , ].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant has been recommended as a cover crop in DR Congo[].

Other Uses

Flemingia grahamiana is one of the principal sources of the Arab dye called ‘waras’, ‘wars’ or ‘warus’. Waras is a coarse purple or brilliant orange-brown powder, consisting of single (not grouped) hairs and dark gland globules rubbed from dry fruits. The powder is used in India, the Arab world and in Africa (e.g. in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Malawi), mainly for dyeing silk and cotton a golden-yellow, but also for other purposes such as dyeing bamboo for baskets and making coloured ink. It does not seem to be applied to wool[].
Waras is also used as a cosmetic by placing a small portion of the powder in the palm of the hand and moistening it with water; the hands are then rubbed together, producing a lather of a bright gamboge colour, which is applied as required[].
The fruit powder of Flemingia grahamiana contains a dark red to orange-brown resin, an orange-red crystalline substance and small quantities of a yellow crystalline substance. These are flavonoid colorants belonging to the group of chalcones: flemingins A, B and C, homoflemingin and 5-deoxyhomoflemingin. These principles resemble those of kamala (Mallotus philippinensis (Lam.) Muell.Arg.), which also are complex chalcones, but not identical. The dye of kamala is also produced by the glands on the fruits and in international trade waras and kamala are often traded together. In dye powder of waras, uncoloured long and simple hairs can be found, whereas in dye powder of kamala short uncoloured stellate hairs are found[].
To prepare the dye, the powder is dissolved in the dye bath with an equal weight of sodium carbonate. When the temperature of the bath reaches 40°c the yarns or textiles to be dyed are put into the bath and the whole is slowly heated to boiling point. To make the colour brighter, the fibre can be washed in slightly acidic water, e.g. made with lemon juice. Beautiful deep yellow or orange colours can be obtained, fast to light and acids, less so to alkaline substances. Those colours were used very frequently in combination with indigo blue in the renowned ikat textiles from Yemen[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.

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