Cymbopogon citratus
Cymbopogon citratus is an aromatic, evergreen, densely clump-forming, perennial grass producing numerous stiff stems arising from a short rhizomatous rootstock, and growing around 1.5 metres tall.
Lemon grass is a pleasantly aromatic plant that is widely cultivated in the tropics, both on a commercial scale and in gardens, and especially in southeast Asia. It is used as a food flavouring, especially for Asian cuisine; as a medicinal herb; the source of an essential oil; and as a soil improver and stabilizer. It is also an excellent restorer of worn out soils and is grown as an ornamental in gardens, where it can be used to form a small hedge.
Cyphostemma njegerre
Cyphostemma njegerre is a perennial climbing plant with stems 12 metres or more long that support themselves on other plants by means of tendrils. The slender branches, leaf and flower stalks are all densely covered with long spreading hairs.
The edible fruits are gathered from the wild for local use. The plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental.
Dactyloctenium giganteum
Dactyloctenium giganteum is a robust, clump-forming annual grass. The culms are up to 160cm tall (and rarely less than 70cm), erect or geniculately ascending, sometimes rooting from the lower nodes. The edible seed is sometimes harvested from the wild (usually only in times of shortage) and consumed locally.
Dalechampia clematidifolia
Dalechampia clematidifolia is a climbing shrub, producing stems that twine into other plants for support. The plant sometimes adopts a more shrub-like habit.
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and dye.
Delonix regia
Delonix regia is a fast-growing tree with an umbrella shaped, spreading crown with the long, nearly horizontal branches forming a diameter that is wider than the tree’s height.
Usually evergreen, the trees are deciduous in areas where the dry season is long and pronounced.
The tree grows 10 - 18 metres tall, with a large, buttressed bole that can attain a girth of up to 2 metres.
A multipurpose tree, it is harvested from the wild for a wide range of local uses, including for medicines, food, timber, fuel and beads. It is cultivated as a shade tree in plantations and is used to stabilize and enrich the soil. This species is one of the most widely cultivated ornamental plants in the world, being grown as an ornamental in gardens and by the sides of roads throughout the tropics.
Flame tree has become almost extinct in its native range of Madagascar.
The main native subpopulations are found in areas that are threatened from charcoal production.
The tree is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2010).
Dialium orientale
Dialium orientale is a multi-stemmed shrub or a tree with a crown that is flattened or spreading and drooping to the ground; it can grow 6 - 15 metres tall. The bole is short.
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use of its edible fruit and useful wood.
The tree has a restricted range along the coast of east Africa, much of this habitat is threatened with overcutting and clearing. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2011).
Diospyros squarrosa
Diospyros squarrosa is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing from 2 - 10 metres tall.
The tree is harvested from the wild for its edible fruit and as a source of wood, both of which are used locally.
Encephalartos hildebrandtii
Encephalartos hildebrandtii is an evergreen, palm-like tree with a stout unbranched bole covered with leaf scars and topped with a rosette of many, long leaves. The plant can reach up to 6 metres tall, though it is often much shorter. The dark green, arching, pinnate, leaves can be 3 metres long, the leaf stalk bearing about 80 pairs of stiff, tough and leathery leaflets, 15 - 35 cm long.
The plant is harvested from the wild for use as an emergency food in times of shortage. It is often grown as an ornamental.
Habitat destruction as a result of urban expansion, coastal resort development, and agricultural expansion is having a direct impact on this species. Former large subpopulations of the species have been lost as result. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2011).
Eugenia capensis
Eugenia capensis is a shrub or tree growing up to 5 metres tall with pendulous branches.
A popular wild fruit within its native range, where it is often harvested by herdsmen and forestry workers. It is also a source of wood.
