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Aspalathus linearis

Common name:	Rooibos	Family:	Leguminosae
Author:	(Burm.f.)R.Dahlgren.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Borbonia pinifolia (Marloth.), Aspalathus contaminatus (auct.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Africa - south and south-west Cape.
Habitat:	Sandy hills and on the sides of mountains[245]. Well-drained, sandy but moisture-retaining, non-acidic soils[268].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Lebeckia contaminata[G] Psoralea linearis[G] Spartium contaminatum[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Rooibos [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	linearis = linear
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Fabales. Renamed to Fabaceae -- Pea family

Physical Characteristics

Shrub growing to 2m. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). It can fix Nitrogen. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Condiment Tea.

A tea made from the dried fermented leaves tastes similar to oriental tea made from Camellia sinensis[238]. It is less astringent, however, due to the lower tannin content[238]. It is caffeine-free, but has a higher content of fluoride which might help to protect against tooth decay[238]. Recent research has shown that this tea contains a substance similar to superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant compound that is thought to retard the ageing process[238]. The leaves and stems are harvested in the summer, fermented and sun dried for later use[238].
The leaves are sometimes used as a flavouring in foods and in baking[268].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antispasmodic Tonic.

Rooibos was traditionally used by the Bushmen and Hottentots of South Africa and is becoming increasingly popular in the West as a pleasant tasting tea that also has health benefits[268].
A tea made from the leaves and stems of rooibos is generally beneficial to the digestive system and relaxes spasms[238], it has been used in the treatment of vomiting, diarrhoea and other mild gastric complaints[268]. It has also been shown to be of benefit when used internally and externally in the treatment of a wide range of allergies especially milk allergy[268], eczema, hay fever and asthma in infants[238].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a very well-drained acid sandy soil and a warm sunny position[200]. When grown in pots it needs to be kept dry but not arid in the winter[200].
This species tolerates several degrees of frost in its native habitat[200], though this cannot be applied directly to plants grown in Britain because of our cooler summers and colder, wetter winters. Plants are said to be frost-tolerant in one report[238], but in general plants are usually pot-grown in greenhouses in this country and can be brought into the garden for the summer[200].
Cultivated commercially for its leaves, which are used to make a tea. Rooibos is one of the few wild species to have been developed as a commercial crop in the last 100 years[238]. It is grown for use as a tea, though it is also used medicinally[238]. Commercial plantations last for about 7 years before they need to be replaced.
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow late spring in a greenhouse covering the seed with about 10mm of soil[238, 268]. It will probably be beneficial to pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water prior to sowing. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of well-drained sandy soil as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. It will probably be wise to give the plants protection from the cold and from excessive rain for at least their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood in a closed frame in early summer[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Lebeckia contaminata (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[268] Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979 ISBN 0-85613-067-2
Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.

Readers Comments

Aspalathus linearis

arno bredenkamp (arno.bredenkamp@newlands.ca) Thu Sep 5 17:29:21 2002

Link: Premium Rooibos imported to Canada List of research references on Rooibos

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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