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Scientific Name | Plectranthus esculentus N.E.Br. |
Higher Classification | Dicotyledons |
Family | LAMIACEAE |
Synonyms | Plectranthus floribundus N.E.Br. |
Common Names | African Potato (e), Itapile (x), Scrambled Eggs (e), Tapole Emahlo (ss), Ujangu (z), Ujilo (z), Umbondwe (z), Umhlaza (z), Wild Potato (e), Wilde-aartappel (a) |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Least Concern |
Assessment Date | 2022/11/22 |
Assessor(s) | D. Raimondo & W. McCleland |
Justification | This species was extensively cultivated as a food crop in the past, but cultivation has declined in favor of more successful domesticated crops. It is still consumed in some parts of Africa, with recent records of consumption noted in Tanzania. Several scattered subpopulations of this species have been documented between the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa, and many more unrecorded subpopulations are suspected to exist. The species has a minimum global extent of occurrence (EOO) of 735 742 km², while in South Africa, its EOO is at least 44 905 km². Although it is challenging to determine whether recorded subpopulations are natural wild populations or the result of human distribution across the subcontinent, the overall population is not suspected to be declining, and the species is listed as Least Concern. |
Distribution |
Endemism | Not endemic to South Africa |
Provincial distribution | KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga |
Range | It is widely cultivated, but natural range is poorly known, it has been recorded throughout southern Africa from southern Tanzania through to KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Grassland, Savanna |
Description | It occurs in open Savannas and grassland habitats throughout its range. |
Threats |
| While some subpopulations of this species are threatened by overgrazing and too frequent fires, leading to failed recruitment due to the loss of seeds and seedlings, the overall population is not suspected to be declining. |
Population |
Scattered subpopulations of this species have been recorded throughout southern Africa. Since it is a species that is edible its natural distribution is difficult to know and the subpopulations recorded from the wild may have been distributed historically by people. This species was previously thought to be very rare in South Africa as there was only one record collected for it from Inanda over a 30 year period. However there are a number of historic records from throughout the country and recent records from Mpumalanga and eSwatini which indicate that it is likely that a number of subpopulations are still extant in South Africa. Recent observations posted on iNaturalist from Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo confirm this species' scattered presence throughout the sub continent. The population trend is suspected to be stable.
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Population trend | Stable |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Plectranthus esculentus N.E.Br. | Data Deficient | Raimondo et al. (2009) | |
Bibliography |
Crouch, N.R. and Styles, D.G.A. 2010. Lamiaceae: Rediscovery in South Africa of the neglected African vegetable Plectranthus esculentus. Bothalia 40(1):65-67.
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
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Citation |
| Raimondo, D. & McCleland, W. 2022. Plectranthus esculentus N.E.Br. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2024/12/06 |
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