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Group:
Eudicot
Size:
0.5 – 1 meter in height
Distribution:
Lessertia frutescens occurs naturally throughout the dry parts of southern Africa – in Western Cape and up the west coast as far north as Namibia and into Botswana, and in the western Karoo to Eastern Cape. It is also found in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. It shows remarkable variation within its distribution
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
225.29 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
1.74 kilobases
Assembly N50:
TBA
Contig number:
TBA
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Assembler used:
TBA
Genome Length:
0.45 Gigabases
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
94.3% [S: 90.8%, D: 3.5%]
BUSCO database:
TBA
Importance:
This plant is one of the most discussed in the ethnobotanical world because it has a strong reputation as a cure for cancer and increasingly as an immune booster in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. It has long been known, used and respected as a medicinal plant in southern Africa. There is preliminary clinical evidence that it has a direct anti-cancer effect in some cancers and that it acts as an immune stimulant. Research on its properties is ongoing.
Sample Contributor contact details:
Thabang Makola
South African National Biodiversity Institute
Date Published:
2025-03-12
Photo credit:
© T. Makola
Flora
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