''Artemisia afra'', the African wormwood,
/sup> is a common species of the genus '' Artemisia'' in Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, with a wide distribution from South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, to areas reaching to the North and East, as far north as Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. ''Artemisia afra'' is the only species in this genus indigenous to the African continent.
Growth
''Artemisia afra'' grows in clumps, with ridged, woody stems, reaching from 0.5 meters to 2 meters in height. The leaves are dark green, of soft texture, and similar in shape to fern leaves. The undersides of the leaves are a lighter green, and are covered with white bristles. ''Artemisia afra'' blossoms in late summer, producing abundant bracts of butter-colored flowers, each approximately 3 to 5 millimeters in diameter. ''Artemisia afra'' exudes a pungent, sweet smell when any part of the plant is bruised.
''Artemisia afra'' grows across a wide geographic area, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. It grows primarily in areas that are damp, such as by the side of streams, and also in transitional areas between ecosystems.
Essential oil
Essential oil extracts of ''Artemisia afra'' are prepared by steam distillation using twigs and blossoms. Extracts contain the following components (via gas chromatography) which are typical of extracts of the genus ''Artemisia'':
* α-thujone 52.9%
* β-thujone 15.07%
* 1,8 cineole 10.66%
* camphor 5.72%
*germacrene
Germacrenes are a class of volatile organic hydrocarbons, specifically, sesquiterpenes. Germacrenes are typically produced in a number of plant species for their antimicrobial and insecticidal properties, though they also play a role as insect ph ...
1.60%
* δ-cadinene 1.16%
* α-terpineol 0.96%
* e-chrysanthenyl acetate 0.78%
*camphene
Camphene is a bicyclic organic compound. It is one of the most pervasive monoterpenes. As for other terpenes, it is insoluble in water, flammable, colorless, and has a pungent smell. It is a minor constituent of many essential oils such as ...
0.71%
* β-pinene 0.51%
*α-pinene
α-Pinene is an organic compound of the terpene class, one of two isomers of pinene. It is an alkene and it contains a reactive four-membered ring. It is found in the oils of many species of many coniferous trees, notably the pine. It is also ...
0.46%
* trans-β-ocimene 0.45%
*myrcene
Myrcene, or β-myrcene, is a monoterpene. A colorless oil, it occurs widely in essential oils. It is produced mainly semi-synthetically from '' Myrcia'', from which it gets its name. It is an intermediate in the production of several fragrances. ...
0.22%
Other names
''Aretemisia afra'' is known by a variety of names, primarily due to the number of native dialects in regions where it grows. ''Langana'' represents a Sotho-derived name for Artemisia afra. Other variants include:
* wild wormwood (English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
)
* African wormwood (English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
)
* (Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
)
* (Xhosa
Xhosa may refer to:
* Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa
* Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people
See als ...
)
* ( Zulu)
* (Tswana
Tswana may refer to:
* Tswana people, the Bantu speaking people in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and other Southern Africa regions
* Tswana language, the language spoken by the (Ba)Tswana people
* Bophuthatswana, the former ba ...
)
* (Southern Sotho)
* (Luo Luo may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
*** Luoland, th ...
)
* ( Amharic)
* chii (Tchad
Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republ ...
)
References
#Bremness, L. ''The complete book of herbs'', Dorling Kindersley, London, 1988.
#Jackson, W. ''Origins and meanings of names of South African plant genera'', Univ. Cape Town, 1990.
#''The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening'', Huxley, A., et al., eds. Macmillan Press, London, 1992.
#Liu, N. Q., Van der Kooy, F., Verpoorte, R. ''Artemisia afra: A potential flagship for African medicinal plants?,'' 2009.
#Mangena, T., Muyima, N.Y.O. ''Comparative evaluation of the antimicrobial activities of essential oils of Artemisia afra, Pteronia incana and Rosmarinus officinalis on selected bacteria and yeast strains''. 1999.
#Mukinda, J., & Syce, J. ''Acute and chronic toxicity of the aqueous extract of Artemisia afra in rodents''. 2007.
#Thring, T.S.A., Weitz, F.M. ''Medicinal plant use in the Bredasdorp/Elim region of the Southern Overberg in the Western Cape Province of South Africa'', 2006.
#Watt, J.M., & Breyer-Brandwijk, M.G. ''Medicinal and poisonous plants of Southern and Eastern Africa'', E. & S. Lvingstone Ltd., Edinburgh and London 1962
# van Wyk, B-E., van Oudtshoorn, B. & Gericke, N. ''Medicinal plants of South Africa'', Briza, Pretoria, 1997.
External links
''Artemisia afra'' Growth Distribution
from Discover Life website
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2716370
afra
Flora of Africa
Medicinal plants of Africa
Plants described in 1804