Silene, Entada, Calea & Helinus

Four plants, four families

The four products in this category have little in common botanically. Silene capensis belongs to the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae), Helinus integrifolius to the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae), Entada rheedii to the legume family (Fabaceae) and Calea zacatechichi to the Asteraceae. Two come in Maya Herbs pouches from Maya World Trading BV in Haarlem, labelled “Made in South Africa”; the seeds and the cut herb come in Herborist pouches, which state no country. Like everything in the shop, they are sold strictly as collectible or souvenir items.

The four products compared

Silene root and Entada seeds: two unrelated plants

The Silene root pouch is labelled “African Dream Root” and the Entada seed pouch “African Dream Herb”. The names sound alike, but the species are unrelated. The root powder is Silene capensis, which the World Checklist of Vascular Plants compiled by Kew lists as a synonym of Silene undulata subsp. undulata, native from Zimbabwe to South Africa. GBIF records the English names wavy catchfly and Cape catchfly. The seeds are Entada rheedii, a legume spelled Entada rheedei as the accepted name in the checklist. Its native range is very wide: from West Africa to Madagascar, across southern Asia and into northern Australia. GBIF lists snuffbox sea bean and matchbox bean among its English names. The same Silene root is also sold as whole root and as a 1:1 root tincture in Smart Seeds & Herbs.

Ubhubhubhu and Calea

Ubhubhubhu is the Zulu name recorded for Helinus integrifolius, which also carries the English names soap creeper and soap bush. Kew’s checklist gives it a native range from Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen south to Angola, Namibia and South Africa; the pouch is labelled as made in South Africa. Calea zacatechichi is the name printed on the Herborist pouch. The checklist lists it as a synonym of Calea ternifolia Kunth, described in 1818 and native from Mexico through Central America to Colombia. English names recorded in GBIF are Mexican calea, bitter-grass and dog-grass.

More dried plants

Roots, barks, leaves and seeds from many other regions are listed in Smart Seeds & Herbs, which also holds the whole Silene root and the root tincture.

Dispatch and delivery

Orders leave on business days in neutral outer packaging with no description of the contents. When a tracking number exists, we email you the link after dispatch. All delivery times are estimates. The Delivery, Tracking & Returns page explains shipping, the 14-day withdrawal and the statutory exceptions to it.

Frequently asked questions

Are the Silene root and the Entada seeds the same plant?

No. The root powder is Silene capensis (carnation family); the seeds are Entada rheedii (legume family). Only the trade names on the two labels are similar.

Why do the label names differ from the accepted botanical names?

The labels use the names under which these plants are traded. Kew’s checklist accepts Silene undulata subsp. undulata, Entada rheedei and Calea ternifolia instead. We keep the label names in the product names so you can match them to the pouch.

How are the Entada seeds sold?

By count: you can choose one seed or five seeds. The Herborist label gives the species but no country of origin.

Which sizes are available?

The Silene root powder comes in 10 g, 25 g or 100 g, the ubhubhubhu wood in 25 g, 100 g or 500 g, and the Calea herb in 25 g, 100 g or 1 kg.

Where do these products come from?

The two Maya Herbs pouches are labelled “Made in South Africa”. The Herborist pouches name no country, so we do not state one for the seeds or the Calea herb.