Gouania lupuloides
| Gouania lupuloides | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rhamnaceae |
| Tribe: | Gouanieae[1] |
| Genus: | Gouania |
| Species: | G. lupuloides |
| Binomial name | |
| Gouania lupuloides | |
Gouania lupuloides, known as chewstick or whiteroot, is a plant of the family Rhamnaceae. The name in Jamaica for a vine with a woody stem which grows in hedgerows in the hills. In Jamaican patois a vine is called a wis (wythie). To clean one's teeth with this plant one cuts off a portion of the vine, peels off the bark and chews the tip. The tip becomes fibrous and frothy. Chewstick tastes slightly bitter but not unpleasant. The plant is used to make a commercial toothpaste. Chewstick may also be used as an ingredient in Jamaican ginger beer.
References
- ↑ "Gouania lupuloides". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 1997-05-22. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- MEDlCINAL PLANTS OF JAMAICA. PARTS 1 & 11. By G. F. Asprey, M.Sc., Ph.D. (B'ham.), Professor of Botany, U.C.W.l. and Phyllis Thornton, B.Sc. (Liverpool), Botanist Vomiting Sickness Survey. Attached to Botany Department, U.C.W.l.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, May 08, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.