Euclea divinorum

Magic guarri
Flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ebenaceae
Genus:	Euclea
Species:	E. divinorum
Binomial name
Euclea divinorum Hiern[1]
Synonyms[2]
List Euclea balfouriiHiern ex Balf.f. Euclea huillensisGürke Euclea katangensisDe Wild. Euclea keniensisR.E.Fr. Euclea kiwuensisGürke Euclea laurinaHiern ex Balf.f. Euclea stuhlmanniiGürke

Euclea divinorum, called diamond leaf, diamond-leaved euclea, magic guarri, and toothbrush tree, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Euclea, native to eastern and southern Africa.^[2] A shrub or small tree, it has many uses in Africa, including as a source for dye for wool, for tanning leather, and an ink, and as a preservative for milk (allowing it to keep for up to a year), and, by chewing on a twig, as a toothbrush.^[3]

Foliage and flower buds of a magic guarri in the Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden in Pretoria, South Africa

References

1. Trans. Cambridge Philos. Soc. 12: 99 (1873)
2. "Euclea divinorum Hiern". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
3. Cardon, D. (2005). Dyes and Tannins. PROTA Foundation. p. 76-79. ISBN 9789057821592.