Strophanthus sarmentosus

Strophanthus sarmentosus grows as either a deciduous shrub or as a liana up to 40 metres (130 ft) long, with a stem diameter up to 15 centimetres (6 in). Its fragrant flowers feature a white to purple corolla, red or purple-streaked on the inside. Vernacular names for the plant include spider tresses and poison arrow vine. Its habitat is forested areas from sea level to 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) altitude. The numerous local medicinal uses of S. sarmentosus include treatment of joint pain, head lice, eye conditions and venereal disease. The plant has also been used as arrow poison.[2] Botanist John Baldwin discovered that Strophanthus sarmentosus was a natural source of the steroid hormone cortisone.[3] The sarmentosus plant was used in the early manufacture of cortisone-based drugs.[3] Strophanthus sarmentosus is native from west and central tropical Africa to Uganda and Angola.[1][2]

Strophanthus sarmentosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Strophanthus
Species:
S. sarmentosus
Binomial name
Strophanthus sarmentosus
Synonyms[1]
  • Strophanthus laurifolius DC.
  • Strophanthus pendulus Kumm. & Hook.
  • Strophanthus senegambiae A.DC.
  • Strophanthus ogovensis Franch.
  • Strophanthus punctifer A.Chev.
  • Strophanthus glabriflorus (Monach.) Monach.
  • Strophanthus paroissei Franch.

References
  1. "Strophanthus sarmentosus". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  2. Medicinal Plants. PROTA. 2008. pp. 557–559. ISBN 978-9-05782-204-9.
  3. "John T. Baldwin Jr., Botanist, 63, Dead". The New York Times. 5 September 1974. Retrieved 8 February 2020.


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