Botanical Name

Vernonia colorata (Willd.) Drake [Asteraceae]

Specimen Type

Herbarium Sheet [Preserved Specimen]

Collector

Peter Thonning

Collection Date-s

1799 – 1803

Collection Location

Quitta & L. Augna [Ghana: Volta Region; Keta of Keta Lagoon]

Colonial Context

Danish Gold Coast of Africa 1663–1963

Annotations Determinations and Type Specimen Status

On sheet: HB. SCHUM. 131. Chysocoma (corÿmbosa: crossed out) amara Th: Collect: Guin: D. Th.
Decaneurum senegalense DC J.L/ 1856 = Vernonia senegalensis Less.

On label: Vernonia colorata Drake Determinavit C.D. Adams 27.VI.1955

IDC microfiche foto: Isert et Thonning nr. 20 I 6-7

Remark: The data on the locality is taken from Hepper F.N. (1976) The West African Herbaria of Isert and Thonning.

Chrysocoma amara Schumach. and Thonn. SYNTYPE. Beskr. Guineiske Pl.: 383 (1827)

Ownership and Collection Management History

Thonning 131; ex herb. C. F. Schumacher

Common Names

Tah-tjo [Schumacher/Thonning]

Historical Cultural and Traditional Knowledge

[Hepper (1976) p. 44:] "The natives employ this plant for various medicinal uses; for old bone injuries a decoction of the leaves is used for bathing; the soft beaten and
moistened bark of the root is applied to the wound itself; where the blood flux is not too serious a decoction of the leaves with a little grains-of‑
Paradise [Aframomum] is used for drinking; in rheumatic pains the leaves expressed in cold water for a bath are used and thereafter the limb is smeared with the finely grated root; but some fetish is connected with this last operation. The root but especially the leaves have a rather clean but very bitter taste. I have seen Europeans employ it for a bitter essence which has been very good. Th."

Source

Herbarium C NHMD

NHMD Herbarium C Catalogue Number

C10003542

C10003542

Copyright Owner

Natural History Museum of Denmark

Copyright License

CC BY 4.0 (images) and CC0 (metadata)