''Agathosma'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of about 140 species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...

, native to the southern part of

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 ...

. Common names include Buchu, Boegoe, Bucco, Bookoo and Diosma. '' Buchu'' formally denotes two

herbal A herbal is a book containing the names and descriptions of plants, usually with information on their medicinal, tonic, culinary, toxic, hallucinatory, aromatic, or magical powers, and the legends associated with them.Arber, p. 14. A herbal m ...

species, prized for their fragrance and medicinal use despite their toxicity. In

colloquial Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom normally employed in conver ...

use however, the term (see Boegoe) is applied to a wider set of fragrant shrubs or substitutes. They are small

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s and

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...

s, mostly with erect woody stems reaching 30–100 cm tall, but low-growing and prostrate in some species. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are usually opposite, ericoid, often crowded, simple, entire, from 0.5-3.5 cm long. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are produced in terminal clusters, 0.7–2 cm diameter, with five white, pink, red or purple, petals. Many of the species are highly aromatic, and the genus name means "good fragrance". Some species of the genus are used as

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

al remedies.

Uses

Two species of ''Agathosma'' endemic to the Western Cape mountains of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and colloquially referred to as "Buchu" are cultivated on a commercial basis for their essential oils, ''

Agathosma betulina ''Agathosma betulina'' (previously ''Barosma betulina'') is a flowering plant in the family Rutaceae, native to the lower elevation mountains of western South Africa, where it occurs near streams in fynbos habitats. Growth It is an evergreen s ...

'' and '' Agathosma crenulata''. The leaves of ''Agathosma betulina'' have been used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

. Bottled agathosma

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An inf ...

s were widely sold in English-speaking countries as "buchu tea" in the 1860s and 1870s. Although demand declined in the 1880s, consumption has continued to the present day; as of 2012, bottled infusions continue to be prepared from agathosma leaves. In addition, traditional buchu tinctures can be prepared by placing leaves and stalks into brandy. "Buchu vinegar", prepared by steeping the leaves and stalks in vinegar, also is a traditional remedy used for example in compresses and also taken internally.Watt, John Mitchell, Breyer-Brandwijk, Maria Gerdina: The Medicinal and Poisonous Plants of Southern and Eastern Africa 2nd ed Pub. E & S Livingstone 1962 The essential oil is used in the manufacture of flavorings and perfume. There appear to be differences in people's perceptions of the smell, possibly determined genetically, rather than by familiarity or nurture. Some people find the smell to be repulsive, while most find it pleasantly herbal. This is not particularly unusual in reaction to the smells of many aromatic Karoo shrubs.

Selected species

:^{List sources :}^,N O T E : In spite of the fact that ''A. villosa'' has been designated as the type species of the genus ''Agathosma'', The Plant List regards it to be a synonym of ''A. glabrata'' ^, * '' A. abrupta'' Pillans * '' A. acocksii'' Pillans * '' A. acutissima'' Dümmer * '' A. adenandriflora'' Schltr. * '' A. adnata'' Pillans * '' A. aemula'' Schltr. * '' A. affinis'' Sond. * '' A. alaris'' Cham. * '' A. alligans'' I.Williams * '' A. alpina'' Schltr. * '' A. alticola'' Schltr. ''ex'' Dümmer * '' A. anomala'' E.Mey. ''ex'' Sond. * '' A. apiculata'' E.Mey. ''ex'' Bartl. & H.L.Wendl. * '' A. asperifolia'' Eckl. & Zeyh. * '' A. barnesiae'' Compton * '' A. bathii'' (Dümmer) Pillans * '' A. betulina'' (P.J.Bergius) Pillans * '' A. bicolor'' Dümmer * '' A. bicornuta'' R.A.Dyer * '' A. bifida'' Bartl. & H.L.Wendl. * '' A. bisulca'' Bartl. & H.L.Wendl. * '' A. blaerioides'' Cham. * '' A. bodkinii'' Dümmer * '' A. capensis'' (L.) Dümmer * '' A. capitata'' Sond. * '' A. cedrimontana'' Dümmer * '' A. cephalodes'' E.Mey. ''ex'' Sond. * '' A. cerefolia'' (Vent.) Bartl. & H.L.Wendl. * '' A. ciliaris'' (L.) Druce * '' A. ciliata'' (L.) Link * '' A. clavisepala'' R.A.Dyer * '' A. collina'' Eckl. & Zeyh. * '' A. concava'' Pillans * '' A. conferta'' Pillans * '' A. cordifolia'' Pillans * '' A. corymbosa'' (Montin) G.Don * '' A. craspedota'' E.Mey. ''ex'' Sond. * '' A. crassifolia'' Sond. * '' A. crenulata'' (L.) Pillans * '' A. decurrens'' Pillans * '' A. dentata'' Pillans * '' A. dielsiana'' Schltr. ''ex'' Dümmer * '' A. distans'' Pillans * '' A. divaricata'' Pillans * '' A. dregeana'' Sond. * '' A. elata'' Sond. * '' A. elegans'' Cham. * '' A. eriantha'' (Steud.) Steud. * '' A. esterhuyseniae'' Pillans * '' A. florida'' Sond. * '' A. florulenta'' Sond. * '' A. foetidissima'' (Bartl. & H.C.Wendl.) Steud. – Bokboegoe * '' A. foleyana'' Dümmer * '' A. fraudulenta'' Sond. * '' A. geniculata'' Pillans * '' A. giftbergensis'' E.Phillips * '' A. glabrata'' Bartl. & H.L.Wendl. * '' A. glandulosa'' (Thunb.) Sond. * '' A. gnidiiflora'' Dümmer * '' A. gonaquensis'' Eckl. & Zeyh. – Gonaqua buchu * '' A. hirsuta'' Pillans * '' A. hirta'' Bartl. & H.L.Wendl. * '' A. hispida'' (Thunb.) Bartl. & H.L.Wendl. * '' A. hookeri'' Sond. * '' A. humilis'' Sond. * '' A. imbricata'' (L.) Willd. * '' A. insignis'' (Compton) Pillans * '' A. involucrata'' Eckl. & Zeyh. * '' A. joubertiana'' Schltdl. * '' A. juniperifolia'' Bartl. * '' A. kougaensis'' Pillans * '' A. krakadouwensis'' Dümmer * '' A. lanceolata'' (L.) Engl. * '' A. lancifolia'' Eckl. & Zeyh. * '' A. latipetala'' Sond. * '' A. leptospermoides'' Sond. * '' A. linifolia'' (Licht. ''ex'' Roem. & Schult.) Licht. ''ex'' Bartl. & H.L.Wendl. * '' A. longicornu'' Pillans * '' A. marifolia'' Eckl. & Zeyh. * '' A. marlothii'' Dümmer * '' A. martiana'' Sond. * '' A. microcalyx'' Dümmer * '' A. microcarpa'' (Sond.) Pillans * '' A. minuta'' Schltdl. * '' A. mirabilis'' Pillans * '' A. mucronulata'' Sond. – Buchu * '' A. muirii'' E.Phillips * '' A. mundtii'' Cham. & Schltdl. * '' A. namaquensis'' Pillans * '' A. odoratissima'' (Montin) Pillans * '' A. orbicularis'' (Thunb.) Bartl. & H.L.Wendl. * '' A. ovalifolia'' Pillans * '' A. ovata'' (Thunb.) Pillans – False Buchu * '' A. pallens'' Pillans * '' A. pattisonae'' Dümmer * '' A. peglerae'' Dümmer * '' A. pentachotoma'' E.Mey. ''ex'' Sond. * '' A. perdita'' Hutch. * '' A. phillipsii'' Dümmer * '' A. pilifera'' Schltdl. * '' A. planifolia'' Sond. * '' A. propinqua'' Sond. * '' A. puberula'' (Steud.) Fourc. * '' A. pubigera'' Sond. * '' A. pulchella'' (L.) Link * '' A. pungens'' (E.Mey. ''ex'' Sond.) Pillans * '' A. purpurea'' Pillans * '' A. recurvifolia'' Sond. * '' A. rehmanniana'' Dümmer * '' A. riversdalensis'' Dümmer * '' A. robusta'' Eckl. & Zeyh. * '' A. roodebergensis'' Compton * '' A. rosmarinifolia'' (Bartl.) I.Williams * '' A. rubricaulis'' Dümmer * '' A. rudolphii'' I.Williams * '' A. sabulosa'' Sond. * '' A. salina'' Eckl. & Zeyh. * '' A. scaberula'' Dümmer * '' A. sedifolia'' Schltdl. * '' A. serpyllacea'' Licht. ''ex'' Schult. * '' A. serratifolia'' (Curtis) Spreeth * '' A. sladeniana'' Glover * '' A. spinescens'' Dümmer * '' A. spinosa'' Sond. * '' A. squamosa'' (Willd. ''ex'' Roem. & Schult.) Bartl. & H.L.Wendl. * '' A. stenopetala'' (Steud.) Steud. * '' A. stenosepala'' Pillans * '' A. stilbeoides'' Dümmer * '' A. stipitata'' Pillans * '' A. stokoei'' Pillans * '' A. subteretifolia'' Pillans * '' A. tabularis'' Sond. * '' A. thymifolia'' Schltdl. * '' A. trichocarpa'' Holmes * '' A. tulbaghensis'' Dümmer * '' A. umbonata'' Pillans * '' A. unicarpellata'' (Fourc.) Pillans * '' A. venusta'' (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Pillans * '' A. villosa'' (Willd.) Willd. ( type) * '' A. virgata'' (Lam.) Bartl. & H.L.Wendl. * '' A. zwartbergensis'' Pillans

Notes

References

* . * .

External links

Fernkloof photos

''A. pungens photos''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2619350 Zanthoxyloideae genera Zanthoxyloideae