BuaNews (Tshwane)
Tsila Makhuvha
26 November 2003
Pretoria — A garden featuring 150 indigenous plants with a wide range of traditional uses has been officially opened at Kirstenbosch in the Western Cape.
The Useful Plants Garden is a brainchild of the current Kirstenbosch scholar Phakamani m'Africa Xaba, who began the project in February 2002.
This project received funding from the Botanical Society of South Africa and the Rowland & Leta Hill Trust administered by Syfrets Trust Limited.
Launching the garden yesterday, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi said it would teach the public about the conservation of indigenous plants.
The garden focuses on plants commonly used in southern Africa, especially those that had become rare or endangered through exploitation for medicinal usage or by competition from exotic crops.
It is divided into sections according to the different uses such as cereal plants and vegetables; construction; erosion control; crafts and weaving; dyes plants; charm; plants used for sexually-related problems; stomach ailments; insect repellents and to treat snake-bites; headache remedies and plants used to treat colds, coughs and flu.
"Because this project was started by a young person it would educate other young people about the importance of their culture and to take care with pride of the resources around them", she said.
Ms Mabudafhasi also added that the UPG took gardening to another level, where gardening started as part of people's lives.
Mr Xaba said the garden was based on centuries of plant use knowledge from all the peoples and cultures of South Africa.
"We want to use it to educate the general public about useful indigenous plants but also to get communities practically involved in the development of Indigenous crops and the preservation and conservation of threatened medicinal plants," he added.
Every individual plant grouping in the garden has a label with interesting and thought-provoking information and visitors can safely handle, touch, rub and smell all the plants.
The garden also boasts a traditional Xhosa/Mpondo hut used to display examples of objects made from some of the plants on display, as well as interpretive information about the plants and the construction of the hut.
The Kirstenbosch UPG already has a satellite garden at the Edith Stephens Wetland Park in Philippi.
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