Common Name:

General Information

Lippia kituiensis is a much-branched aromatic shrub growing up to 3.5 metres tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and insect repellent. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

East tropical Africa - Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi.

Habitat

Bushland, woodland, rough grassland, often on volcanic soil or lava rocks. An important part of long-destroyed forest sites where it may be locally dominant in secondary bush; margins of evergreen woodlands, at elevations from 400 - 2,600 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The green leaves are boiled in water, sugar added and the liquid drunk as a tea[].
.
The ripe berries are eaten raw as a snack, especially by children and herdsmen[]. The red fruit is very small, comprising two dry sections (mericarps) each having 1 seed[].

Medicinal

The leaves are boiled and used as a hot bath for treating coughs, colds and fever[]. They are also crushed and the vapour inhaled to treat colds[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is a colonizer of cultivated or disturbed land, so is considered to be a problem in rangelands[]. However, this trait can be used to advantage when restoring land to forest conditions[].

Other Uses

The plant is used as a mosquito repellent[].

The stems are also as firewood and for making arrow shafts and storage pots[].

Propagation

Seed -

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