African Wildlife & Environment Issue 81

GARDENING FOR BIODIVERSITY

humans. Apparently the concentration of toxins in C. orbiculata specimens varies with geographical area and is also influenced by the soil, the time of year and the moisture content of the leaves. C. orbiculata has been widely used for medicinal purposes. In fact, a more likely explanation for the name Plakkie, which in Afrikaans implies ‘to stick’, relates to the practice of attaching the soft flesh of the leaves to warts or hard corns, so making them soft enough to be peeled off. The leaf has also been applied to boils and abscesses and has even been used on nappy rash! Although internal use is potentially lethal, there are records of the plant juice being used for epilepsy and being swallowed or used as a gargle to treat sore throats. Sotho people, believing the plant to have magical properties, make a protective charm from a dried leaf. Included among Swazi, Xhosa and Zulu traditional uses are such diverse ailments as syphilis, toothache and earache. Or you can eat a leaf daily as a vermifuge, but be warned it is more than just the worms that may succumb! Acknowledgement: Steve Woodhall is thanked for generously sharing his formidable knowledge of Lepidoptera.

Charles & Julia Botha charlesbotha@gmail.com

The stripy, cylindrical leaves of the alien invasive Bryophyllum delagoense distinguish it from Cotyledon orbiculata.

Charles and Julia Botha are the authors of Bring Nature Back to your Garden of which the first edition won a University of KwaZulu-Natal book prize for popularizing science. It explains the important conservation-friendly gardening principles in easy- to-understand, non-scientific language and has now been split into two editions: one for the western part of the country and another for the eastern and northern regions. There is also an isiZulu edition. Their follow up book Bring Butterflies Back to your Garden , describes over 500 recorded butterfly larval host-plants. All proceeds of their books go to the Botanical Education Trust, which funds research aimed at conserving South Africa’s indigenous flora. The books are available from the Flora & Fauna Publication Trust at https://www.floratrust.co.za/ or request your local bookstore to stock them!

44 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 81 (2022)