Christmas Berry - Chironia baccifera
Christmas Berry - Chironia baccifera

Common names: christmas berry, toothache berry, piles bush (English); bitterbossie, aambeibossie, agtdaegeneesbossie, bloedsuiweringsbossie (Afrikaans). 
Botanical name: Chironia baccifera

Chironia baccifera, also known as Christmas berry, is a highly ornamental plant with many medicinal uses, although it is poisonous to stock. It is a fast-growing, rounded shrub that grows up to 1m tall and has starry, bright pink flowers followed by red berries. It is found in dry, sandy soil or sand dunes, growing in the shade of other plants, and can withstand wind. The plant has been used to treat several ailments in traditional medicine, including haemorrhoids, stomach ulcers, syphilis, leprosy, diabetes, and kidney and bladder infections. It is also used as a bitter tonic.

Uses & Benefits: medicine, pot plant

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Nature & Cultivation

Family: Gentianaceae
Type: shrub
Vegetation type: Peninsula Shale Renosterveld 
Flower colour: pink
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Plant-animal interactions: bees
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Use as Medicine

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