Bulbine

Plant photography
coming soon

Photo Credit

—

1 of 1

Common Names

Afrikaans

Rankkopieva · Geelkatstert

English

Stalked Bulbine · Burn Jelly Plant

Khoikhoi

kopieva

Ndebele

not documented

San

not documented

Sepedi

not documented

Sesotho

not documented

Setswana

not documented

Swati

not documented

Tsonga

not documented

Venda

not documented

Xhosa

ibhucu

Zulu

ibhucu · ingelwane

Common Name

Bulbine

Scientific Name

Bulbine frutescens

Family

Asphodelaceae

Native Region

Widespread across South Africa; popular in waterwise and rock gardens as well as medicinal cultivation.

Annual
Production

5 t

Export Revenue

R1m

Export Markets

Local

Livelihoods

Protection & Benefit Sharing

No GI No GI protection. Often marketed internationally as an Aloe vera alternative without geographic designation.

No BSA No formal agreement. Khoikhoi traditional knowledge preserved in Afrikaans naming but communities not formally recognised.

Organic Small certified organic production for cosmeceutical ingredient market.

Wild Harvest Mix of cultivation and wild harvest. Widely available — no sustainability concerns.

Provinces

ECEastern Cape

FSFree State

GTGauteng

KZNKwaZulu-Natal

LIMLimpopo

MPMpumalanga

NCNorthern Cape

NWNorth West

WCWestern Cape

Key

Registered farm

Certified organic

Introduction

A highly versatile succulent subshrub native to rocky outcrops and coastal scrub. Its leaf gel is a potent traditional remedy for skin lesions, now gaining traction in the formal cosmeceutical sector.

Active Compounds

Knipholone
Bulbine anthrones
Glucomannans
Flavonoids

Traditional Uses

Wound healing
Burns
Eczema/psoriasis
Mouth ulcers
Fungal infections

Clinically Validated

Antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and C. albicans (Van Wyk et al., 2009)
Wound healing efficacy comparable to 1% silver sulfadiazine (Pather et al., 2011)
Anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties confirmed via anthrone fraction analysis

Cultivation

Highly drought-tolerant; full sun/light shade; well-drained rocky soil.

Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal coast

Commercial & Trade Notes

Easily propagated from cuttings; significant potential for pharmaceutical-grade gel extraction.

Indigenous Knowledge

First-aid staple for Khoisan, Xhosa, and Zulu communities. General household knowledge for immediate treatment of burns, rashes, and insect bites. Synonymous with 'first-aid' in South African home medicine.

Health