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Useful Tropical Plants

Whitfieldia elongata

(P.Beauv.) De Wild. & T.Durand

Acanthaceae

+ Synonyms

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:

Whitfieldia elongata
Flowering plant in the Palmengarten, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Photograph by: Daderot
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
Whitfieldia elongata Whitfieldia elongata Whitfieldia elongata

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 *  *
HabitShrub
Height4.00 m
Cultivation StatusOrnamental, 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 -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-01. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Whitfieldia+elongata>

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