Rooibos
Rooibos, or Aspalathus linearis, is a broom-like member of the plant family Fabaceae that grows in South Africa's fynbos biome. The leaves are used to make a herbal tea that is called rooibos, bush tea, red tea, or redbush tea. The tea has been popular in Southern Africa for generations, and since the 2000s has gained popularity internationally.
The tea has an earthy flavour that is similar to yerba mate or tobacco. Rooibos was formerly classified as Psoralea but is now thought to be part of Aspalathus following Dahlgren (1980).
The specific name of linearis was given by Burman (1759)
for the plant's linear growing structure and needle-like leaves. The name rooibos is Afrikaans from rooi bos, meaning 'red bush'.
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