Apocynaceae

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Dogbane family
Scientific classification
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Genera\n
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\nThe Apocynaceae family, or dogbane family, is mainly composed of tall tropical trees from the rainforest, as well as many smaller trees, shrubs and lianas with milky juice. There are also some perennial herbs from temperate zones. The family includes some 1500 species divided in about 180 genera. Many are poisonous.

Table of contents

1 Distribution 2 Characteristics 3 Uses 4 External link

Distribution

\nThis family occurs mainly in tropical regions. \n*In the rainforests and swamps of India and Malaya: small to very tall evergreen trees, often with buttress roots, such as Alstonia and Dyer.\n*In northern Australia: small evergreen trees such as Cerbera and Ochrosia.\n*In deciduous forests of Africa and India: smaller trees such as Carissa, Wrightia and Holarrhena.\n*In tropical America, India, Myanmar and Malaya: evergreen trees and shrubs, such as Rauwolfia, Tabernaemontana and Acokanthera.\n*In Central America: Plumeria, or the frangipani, with its waxy white or pink flowers and a sweet scent.\n*In South America, Africa and Madagascar: many lianas such as Landolphia.\n*In the Mediterranean region: Nerium, with the well-known oleander tree (Nerium oleander). \n

Characteristics

The leavess are simple, usually opposite and decussate, or whorled with no stipules. Flowers are radially symmetrical, aggregated in inflorescences are bisexual, with synsepalous, 5-lobed calyx.

Uses

Several plants of this family had economic uses in the past. The genera Carpodinus, Landolphia, Hancornia, Funtumia and Mascarenhasia were an inferior commercial source of rubber. The milky juice of the Namibian Pachypodium has been used as venom for arrow tips by the Bushmen. The following genera are ornamental plants: Amsonia (bluestar), Nerium (oleander), Vinca (periwinkle), Carissa (Natal plum, an edible fruit), Allamanda (golden trumpet), Plumeria (frangipani), Thevetia (lucky nut), Mandevilla (Savannah flower). Rauvolfia cafra is the Quinine tree. Rauvolfia serpentina or Indian Snakeroot yields the alkaloids reserpine and rescinnamine. Some are sources of drugs, such as glycoside, interfering with the heart function: Acokanthera, Apocynum, Cerbera, Nerium, Thevetia and Strophantus.\n \n

External link

\n*Entry from The Families of Flowering Plants \n\n