Silene capensis
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Silene capensis (Xhosa: undlela ziimhlophe — “white ways/paths”) (also known as African Dream Root[citation needed]) is a plant native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa, where it is regarded by the Xhosa people as a sacred plant. Its root is traditionally used to induce vivid (and according to the Xhosa, prophetic) lucid dreams during the initiation process of shamans, classifying it a naturally occurring oneirogen similar to the more well-known dream herb Calea zacatechichi.
Silene Capensis in a small pot
In cultivation it is an easily grown but moisture hungry herb, but tolerant of extreme heat (+40C) and moderate cold (-5C). A moisture retentive seedbed is essential. The flowers open at night and close in the day. They are very fragrant and smell something like cloves, jasmine and bananas. It acts a biennial to short lived perennial and the root can be harvested after the second year.
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