''Rhytidophyllum tomentosum'' is a perennial flowering shrub belonging to the

Gesneriaceae Gesneriaceae, the gesneriad family, is a family of flowering plants consisting of about 152 genera and ca. 3,540 species in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World (almost all Didymocarpoideae) and the New World (most Gesnerioideae), with ...

family. It is a member of the ''

Rhytidophyllum ''Rhytidophyllum'' is a genus of plant in family Gesneriaceae, native to the Caribbean islands and northern South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a r ...

'' genus. In Jamaica the vernacular names for ''R. tomentosum'' are "search my heart" or "heart bush".

Habitat

''Rhytidophyllum tomentosum'' is native to Jamaica. The shrub thrives in shaded damp rocky hillsides on the island. It has been introduced to the

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...

, Cuba, and

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

Description

''Rhytidophyllum tomentosum'' has long slender lime-green to dark green hairy leaves that are between 6 and 8 inches long. The leaves are pointed at both ends and have jagged edges. The plant blooms light yellow tubular flowers that have dark red spots in the center.

Traditional uses

''Rhytidophyllum tomentosum'' leaves (fresh or dried) are used to make an herbal tea for heart palpitations, coughs, chest congestion, sinus infections, and menstrual cramps. However, these claims are all based on folk medicinal practices. In addition, the plant's leaves and stems are combined with other ingredients to make Jamaican root tonic.

References

tomentosum Plants described in 1753 {{Gesneriaceae-stub