Definition

Noun: 1. A South African plant smoked like tobacco: A relatively nontoxic herb native to South Africa, the dried leaves of which are traditionally smoked.

Usage Notes

• This is a specific common name for a plant species (). It is often used in botanical, ethnobotanical, or informal contexts discussing traditional practices.
• The term is typically used as a singular, non-count noun when referring to the substance (e.g., "some cape dagga"), but can be pluralized when referring to multiple plants (e.g., "several cape daggas").

Examples

• Noun:
  • Some traditional healers use cape dagga in their rituals.
  • The dried leaves of cape dagga are prepared for smoking.
  • He cultivated a few cape daggas in his garden for study.

Advanced Usage

• As a modifier: The term can be used attributively to describe related items.
  • A cape dagga pipe was found among the artifacts.
  • They studied the cape dagga plant's effects.

Variants and Related Words

• Lion's Tail: The most common alternative common name for the same plant (), referring to the shape of its flowers.
• Wild Dagga: Another common name for the same species, sometimes used interchangeably but which can also refer to a different, related plant ().

Synonyms

• Lion's Ear (Less common)
• Leonotis leonurus (The botanical Latin name)

Notes on Meaning

• The primary meaning is the plant itself, used as a smokable herb. It does not refer to a garment (cape) or have any other common definitions outside this specific botanical context. The "dagga" part of the name is derived from a Khoikhoi term for cannabis, indicating its historical use as a substitute.

Noun

1. relatively nontoxic South African herb smoked like tobacco