Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: Umondi (Z), White's ginger, Umondi

Family: Apocynaceae (Dogbane)

Distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa

Habitat: Dense woodlands and forests

IUCN Red list: Not evaluated

National red list: Endangered

Life form: Perennial plant

Comments: A woody climber that grows in dense woodlands and forests with a wide distribution from eastern southern Africa to tropical Africa. It is very popular as a medicinal plant with uses such as a libido and appetite enhancer, fertility medication, an antidepressant, bilharzia treatment and for general pains. Since the vanilla-scented roots are the main part of the plant that is used, harvesting for medicinal purposes generally results in death of the plant. Due to its popularity as a medicinal plant and consequent overharvesting, this plant is now under severe pressure and is endangered in South Africa.