Whitfieldia Elongata

Scientific Name: Whitfieldia Elongata

Common Name: white candles

Family: Fabaceae (commonly known as legume, pea or bean family) 

Names in other languages: white candles (English); indolou (Central African Republic); mbonyati (Tanzania)

• General Information 

Whitfieldia elongata is a shrub that can be erect or semi-scandent, with stems up to 3 - 5 metres long[332 ]. It is sometimes gathered from the wild for local medicinal use, as a dye and for its wood. An ornamental plant, it is sometimes grown as a house plant in cooler regions of the world.

Features of Bauhinia Tomentosa that make it identifiable:  

• The Bark is green with a hairy texture to it 

• The Leaves are dark green, glossy, elliptic with a distinctly wrinkled texture. Young leaves tend to be curled upward along the margin, while mature leaves are often strongly curled backwards

• The flowers are comprised of a pure white calyx and a protruding white bloom. 

• The fruits are about 3 cm long capsules containing 2 globose seeds about 0,8 cm long

Uses (non medicinal) 

• The leaves yield a black dye

• The stems are used to make spinning spindles

Medicinal Uses:  

• The leaves are pulped up after being passed through a fire and then used as an embrocation in the treatment of bronchitis

• This same preparation is also eaten as a vegetable by women as an aid to conception

• A leaf-decoction in palm wine is drunk in the treatment of stomach-complaints and as a remedy to food-poisoning