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Agathosma betulina
Also called Round Leaf Buchu, Round Leaved Buchu, Honey Buchu, Mountain Buchu, Anise Buchu, Rounds, Short Buchu
Round leaf buchu is an evergreen shrub from the fynbos of western South Africa, grown for its fragrant leaves used in teas, sweets and liqueur. It is a species, not a genus, and is mainly grown outdoors in mild climates.
Agathosma betulina (previously Barosma betulina) is a flowering plant in the family Rutaceae, native to the lower elevation mountains of western South Africa, where it occurs near streams in fynbos habitats.
Wild plants of this species are still plentiful but are being harvested faster than they can reproduce. The threat of their becoming scarce has led to efforts to cultivate them. The essential oils and extracts of the leaves are used as flavoring for teas, candy, and a liquor known as buchu brandy in South Africa. The two primary chemical constituents of the oils of A. betulina are isomenthone and diosphenol. The extract is said to taste like blackcurrant.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Agathosma betulina by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
