Leaves - Specimen details
| Catalogue Number: 62747 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Image | Plant Name | 47.01 CELASTRACEAE Catha edulis | Entry Book Number | ||
| Artefact Name | Leaves | Vernacular Name | |||
| Iso Country | South Africa | TDWG Region | South Africa | ||
| Parts Held | Leaves | Geography Description | South Africa, Natal, Maritzburg | ||
| Uses | LeavesUse: FOOD User: Man | TDWG use | FOOD | ||
| Storage | Bottles, boxes etc | Related Items | |||
| Donor | Inter Exhib | Donor No | 68 | ||
| Donor Date | Donor Notes | Shepstone Tx0Dx0A | |||
| Collector | Collector No | ||||
| Collection Notes | Collection Date | ||||
| Exhibition | Expedition | ||||
| Number Components | Publication | ||||
| Notes: | Label source: 10. Arabian Tea Khat, this is a shrubby plant extensively cultivated in the interior of Arabia, mostly in gardens along with coffee. To prepare the tea for trade purposes amongst themselves, the Arabs gather the twigs with the leaves attach, ed and carefully dry them. They are made up into closely pressed bundles of different sizes, the quality being known by the form and size of the bundles. The best are about a foot or 15 inches long and three inches wide. About 40 slender twigs compose the, se bundles, and these are sent into Aden from the place of cultivation in the interior of Arabia to the extent of about 330 camel loads per year. The use of this tea in Arabia is said to antidate that of coffee, which was early known in that country. Besi, des the use of the leaves in the preparation of the beverage, the Arabs also chew them both in the fresh and dried states, the effect of which is to increase the flow of hilarity and mirth, and to produce extreme wakefulness and watchfulness, so that a ma, n may fulfill the duties of sentry all night without a feeling of drowsiness. The plant is considered by the Arabs as an antidote to the plague, and they also believe that infection cannot be contracted if a twig is carried about the person. John R Jackso, n. | ||||