Rhamnus prinoides
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shiny-leaf Buckthorn | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Rhamnus prinoides, foliage
|
||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||
| Rhamnus prinoides Eschsch. |
The Shiny-leaf Buckthorn is an African shrub or small tree in the family Rhamnaceae. It occurs from Ethiopia to South Africa at medium to high altitudes. They often grow near streams or along forest margins. The small edible fruits are shiny red and berry-like.
The plant has many uses amongst the inhabitants of Africa. All parts of the plant are harvested and may be used for nutrition, medicine or superstitious purposes. In Ethiopia, where the plant is known as gesho, it is used in a manner similar to hops: the stems are boiled and the extract mixed with honey to ferment a mead called tej.[1] It is also used in the brewing of tella, an Ethiopian variety of beer.
[edit] References
- ^ Richard Pankhurst, Economic History of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa: Haile Selassie I University, 1968), p. 194.
- Trees of Southern Africa, K C Palgrave, 1984 ISBN 0 86977 081 0
[edit] External reference
 |
This Rhamnaceae article is a stub. Please help Wikipedia grow by expanding it. |
