Ginger Bush Bonsai Tree Seeds - Indigenous

Common Names: Misty Plume Bush, Ginger Bush; Gemmerbos, Watersalie

Family: LAMIACEAE (Mint family)

Name Derivations:
Tetradenia - having four glands
riparia - growing on banks of rivers

The ginger bush is an aromatic shrub that is well suited to be the subject of the art of bonsai. It is slightly succulent and has an irregular branch pattern. The stems are brown and smooth, except for the younger portions which are covered with glandular hairs and have a ruby tinge. The glandular hairs also cover both surfaces of the leaves and make them slightly sticky to the touch. The leaves are a bright green and are slightly heart shaped with the margin irregularly and bluntly toothed. Like many Lamiaceae species (which includes familiar culinary herbs such as thyme, sage and rosemary) the younger branches are distinctly four-angled in cross section. The ginger bush is no relation of the true ginger plant of which the underground stem is commonly used for flavouring and in preserves.

This plant was previously classified under the genus Iboza, which was derived from its Zulu name and apparently this refers to the aromatic qualities of the plant. The Zulu people have many uses for the plant including the relief of chest complaints, stomach ache and malaria. Inhaling the scent of the crushed leaves apparently also relieves headaches.