Page 13 - Cornwall Issue 5 2021

NATURE

fter winter months of no rain, the veld is
dry. Grass, squashed from passing feet,
clings to shoes and dogs’ fur like confetti
Aand the paths are bare earth.

If you look closely though, you will see that mother
nature has sprinkled the sparsely grassed areas with
a dusting of tiny white flowers, as if with icing sugar. It
is the spring-flowering Helichrysum caespititium, also
known as speelwonderboom, Phate-ea-naha, boriba,
botsiki-nyane, lelula-phooko or moriri-oa-lefatse. A
perennial mat forming herb with tiny branchlets of
only 10mm high with flowers clustered on the tips
of the branchlets, H. caespititium flowers are white,
sometimes tipped with pink or totally pink.

Helichrysum caespititium is an important and well-
known medicinal plant in the indigenous pharmacopeia
of South and Central Africa. Studies show that it is
traditionally used for treating several medical conditions
such as respiratory infections, sexually transmitted
infections, nausea, headache, wounds, ulceration,
and even as an aphrodisiac. Recent pharmacological
research has found that the plants’ extracts have anti-
bacterial, anti-gonorrhoeic, anti-mycobacterial, anti-
fungal and antioxidant properties.

This tiny wonder plant packs a punch way above its BIBLIOGRAPHY
size and the beauty of the perfect miniature detail Japsonline.com; bibliomed.org; Field Guide to the
makes it worth looking down to see what is literally Wildflowers of the Highveld, Braam Van Wyk and
underfoot as you walk through the estate’s parks and Sasa Malan.
undisturbed pavements.

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