Ethnobotanical Knowledge, Cultural Resilience, and the Sustainability of Canthium lallanii in Eshowe, South Africa

Traditional food knowledge is a cornerstone of community resilience, cultural identity, and food security, yet it is increasingly threatened worldwide by habitat loss, land-use change, and urbanization, which both clears wild food habitats and draws younger generations away from the land-based practices through which such knowledge is learned and transmitted. Canthium lallanii R.Kr.Singh (syn. Canthium spinosum (Klotzsch ex Eckl. & Zeyh) Kuntze) is an underutilized indigenous fruit plant whose fruit is consumed as a snack and whose various parts are used in folk medicine, construction, and craft-making. However, it is still harvested exclusively from the wild and is vulnerable to local extinction. This study investigated the ethnobotanical uses of C. lallanii among three rural communities in Eshowe, South Africa, to document how traditional plant knowledge continues to underpin household nutrition, income generation, and cultural practice in the face of mounting environmental and social pressure. Data were collected through structured interviews with 100 randomly selected homesteads. The frequency index (FI), relative frequency of citation (RFC), use value (UV), and informant consensus factor (ICF) were calculated, and thematic analysis was used to interpret qualitative responses. Results showed that C. lallanii fruit is universally recognized and consumed as a snack (FI = 100%) and used to flavour traditional beer, while the plant is also drawn upon to treat conditions such as stomachache, pimples or acne, diabetes, and toothache, and for body-cleansing practices. Informant consensus was high for food (ICF = 0.99) and material uses (ICF = 0.91) but low for medicinal uses (ICF = 0.20), indicating that medicinal knowledge is held by only a few individuals. The branches and stems of the species support firewood, homestead construction, fencing, kraals, and craft production, activities that generate supplementary household income. Participants identified climate change, overharvesting, urbanization, deforestation, and the natural ageing of remaining stands as converging threats to the species’ survival. In response, community members articulated locally grounded conservation strategies, such as domestication, homestead cultivation, and the deliberate transmission of knowledge to younger generations. These strategies reflect community-driven efforts toward local control over food resources and long-term resource autonomy, consistent with food sovereignty principles. The findings highlight the value of documenting such knowledge before it is lost, and contribute case-based, empirical evidence to wider debates on how traditional plant-based food systems sustain autonomy, dignity, and cultural continuity for rural communities facing environmental and social change.