Tropical African cultigens from Shongweni excavations,Natal

Plant material preserved in an arid cave at Shongweni, Natal, has been identified as the fruiting inflorescences of Eleusine coracana, Pennisetum typhoides and Sorghum bicolor. Pieces of outer wall of cucurbits have been identified as Citrullus lanatus and Lagenaria siceraria. All these are tropical cultivars exotic to the area. Radiocarbon dates from the relevant levels indicate that they date back to the third millennium BC. The implications of such an early date for the occurrence of these species as far south as Natal are discussed.