''Agathosma'' is a genus of about 140 species of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae, native to the southern part of Africa. Common names include Buchu, Boegoe, Bucco, Bookoo and Diosma. ''

Buchu ''Agathosma'' is a genus of about 140 species of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae, native to the southern part of Africa. Common names include Buchu, Boegoe, Bucco, Bookoo and Diosma. '' Buchu'' formally denotes two herbal species, prized ...

'' formally denotes two herbal species, prized for their fragrance and medicinal use despite their toxicity. In colloquial 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 flowers 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 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 ''Agathosma crenulata'' (previously ''Barosma crenulata'') is a flowering plant in the family Rutaceae, native to the lower elevation mountains of southwestern South Africa, where it occurs near streams in fynbos habitats. It is an evergreen shru ...

''. The leaves of ''Agathosma betulina'' have been used in traditional medicine. Bottled agathosma infusions 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 Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

) * '' 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