Crabbea Explained

Crabbea is a genus of flowering plants native to eastern and southern Africa. They are generally low-growing perennial herbs. The five-petaled flowers are surrounded by prickly bracts.^[1]

The small leaves of some species of Crabbea are used as part of a Xhosa food called imifino (boiled leaf vegetables), or as a condiment or relish to accompany grains. A Xhosa common name for these plants is krakrisa.^[2]

As of 2020, there are 13 accepted species in the genus:

• Crabbea acaulis
• Crabbea albolutea
• Crabbea cirsioides
• Crabbea coerulea
• Crabbea glandulosa
• Crabbea kaessneri
• Crabbea longipes
• Crabbea migiurtina
• Crabbea nana
• Crabbea pinnatifida
• Crabbea thymifolia
• Crabbea velutina
• Crabbea zambiana

Notes and References

1. Web site: Crabbea . Flora of Zimbabwe .
2. The Bio-diversity of traditional vegetables of the Transkei region in the Eastern Cape of South Africa . Bhat RB, Rubuluza T, Jäger AK. South African Journal of Botany. 2002. 68. 94–99 . 10.1016/S0254-6299(16)30463-X. free.