Stophanthus speciosus

Common Name- Forest Poison Rope; Afrikaans- giftou; Zulu- amasebele, indodabindenye, isihlungu; Xhosa- umkhukhumeza; Sotho- umhlazazana

This creeper found in our forests is reputed to have poisonous leaves and seeds.  Traditionally, arrow poison is made from the seeds and the powdered roots are used to treat snakebite (in humans and cattle) and sometimes taken as snuff.  The interesting creamy-yellow flowers, with darker orange at the base, are funnel shaped with long twisted lobes.  They have a sweet scent.  Hairy seeds are dispersed by wind once the fruit splits. Narrow elliptic leaves are bright green and shiny, with a prominent midrib. Climbing stems are corky and Stophanthus make attractive specimens to cover a pergola and grow very quickly. Scramblers provide good nesting sites for birds as they are usually well tethered to surrounding trees.

Click on any of the links below to see another Dargle wildflower