Hilliardiella oligocephala

Hilliardiella oligocephala, previously Vernonia oligocephala, is a low-growing, herbaceous perennial, producing annual stems from a perennial, woody rootstock. The many erect stems sometimes reach 1 m in height, usually less.

The species has an extended set of common names reflecting its status as a noted medicinal plant of the South African countryside. Among these names are the Afrikaans wilde tee (wild tea), groenamarabossie (little green amara bush), bitterbossie (little bitter bush) and the Zulu (and Swazi) ihlambihloshane and uhlungushloshane.

The species is distributed in north-eastern South Africa and in Africa as far as Angola and Malawi. It grows in rocky grassland. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

Groenamara is a medicine for some stomach ailments still known among some South Africans (not derived from Amaranthus plants, but from this one). Apart from the plant being used as tea, it has served in some unknown way to ward off hailstorms, but dont go there, i.e. into the hailstorm. Leaves and young stems are used, rarely the roots (Pooley, 1998; Van Wyk, et al, 1997; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).