Common Name:

General Information

Rothmannia longiflora is an evergreen shrub or small tree up to 9 metres tall, often with climbing stems[].
The plant is gathered from the wild for local medicinal use. A decorative plant with large, attractive, trumpet-shaped, white or pink flowers it is worth cultivating as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

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

Habitat

Undergrowth of primary as well as secondary forest, at elevations from sea-level up to 1,700 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	5.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruit[]. The orange-yellow, or green to black, globose fruit is up to 6cm in diameter[].

Medicinal

The plant is often used in traditional medicine in Africa, where it is valued especially for its febrifugal and analgesic properties[]. Research has demonstrated the presence of medically active compounds in the plant.
The N-glycoside 4-oxonicotinamide-1-(1’-β-D-ribofuranoside) has been isolated from the fruits, branches and leaves[]. This compound had previously only been known from human urine, and had never been isolated from other higher plants. It is an interesting compound, particularly in influencing enzymatic processes[].
The fruits contain monomethyl fumarate, which is used to treat psoriasis[].
The fruits contain D-mannitol, which is used as a nutrient, dietary supplement and a texturizing agent[]. Due to its low hygroscopicity, it is often used as a dusting powder to protect products against moisture pick-up. A major use of D-mannitol is in chewing gum and it is also widely used in intestinal permeability tests[].

A decoction of the leaves, twigs, bark and roots is applied internally or externally in lotions, washes and baths[].

The roots are used to treat bowel complaints[]. A root infusion is applied as a treatment for throat abscesses, toothache and leprosy[].

Drinking the leaf juice is said to help during labour and childbirth[].
The leaf pulp is used as an enema against kidney pain and diarrhoea with blood[]. The leaves are used to treat itching skin diseases[].

The fruit pulp is said to be emetic[].

The seed is used to treat ulcers[].

Other Uses

The fruits are commonly used to make blue-black markings on the hands, face and body, sometimes to imitate tattooing[]. Plant fibres are coloured by soaking them in swamp mud to which the fruits and leaves of this plant have been added[].
A dye and an ink-like extract known as 'katambiri' is made from finely crushed seeds[]. To make a stronger dye and ink, the extract is sometimes mixed with leaves of Gardenia, Indigofera, Nauclea or Vitex and sugar or honey[].
A black dye can be prepared from the flowers[].

The twigs are used as chewsticks[].

The stems are used to make shafts of a long-handled chisel that is used for harvesting fruit bunches of oil palm, and elsewhere to make spear handles[].

Propagation

Seed -

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