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Cliffortia ruscifolia

L.

iNaturalist· cc-by

(c) linkie, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by linkie

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

(c) Alex Lansdowne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

(c) Heather and Andrew Hodgson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Cliffortia ruscifolia, the climber's friend, is a widespread species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. A 1 to 1.5 m (3 to 5 ft) tall shrub with painfully sharp leaves, it is found growing on rocks and cliffs, and it is a pioneer species of disturbed areas. It is prone to hairy white galls of unknown cause.

Description

A shrub. It grows 1.5 m tall. Leaves are clustered together. The leaves are simple. They are oblong to sword shaped and 10-12 mm long. They are hairy. Plants are separately male and female.

Edible Uses

The leaves are used to make tea drinks.

Traditional Uses

The leaves are used to make tea drinks.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

It is a subtropical plant.

Where It Grows

Africa, South Africa*, Southern Africa,

Notes

It is rare.

Synonyms

Cliffortia arachnoidea G. Lodd.

References (3)

  • Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 94
  • Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
  • World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

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