Strophanthus speciosus

Strophanthus speciosus, commonly known as the forest poison rope, is a tree, shrub or woody climber which is native to southern Africa.[3]

Forest poison rope
Strophanthus speciosus[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Strophanthus
Species:
S. speciosus
Binomial name
Strophanthus speciosus
(Ward & Harv.) Reber[2]
Synonyms[2]
  • Christya speciosa Ward & Harv.
  • Strophanthus capensis A.DC.

Description

As a tree or shrub it may grow up to 4 metres (13 ft) tall, and as a liana up to 16 metres (52 ft) long, with a stem diameter up to 3 centimetres (1.2 in). Its flowers feature a white turning orange corolla, red-streaked on the inside.

Range and habitat

It is native to Zimbabwe, South Africa and Swaziland.[2][4] It occurs in forests and their margins from 300 metres (980 ft) to 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) altitude.

Uses

As with other species of Strophanthus it contains the cardiac glycoside strophanthin - plants of allied genera contain similar compounds. Local medicinal uses of S. speciosus include snakebite treatment. The plant has also been used as arrow poison.[4]

  • Habit
  • foliage
  • the two-horned fruit capsule, releasing seeds from both horns
  • cloudy latex flowing from a scar where a leaf was broken off
gollark: Got what, bees?
gollark: fripperer
gollark: Totally worth it.
gollark: I had to switch to direct neural input and temporarily fry my brain slightly.
gollark: My WPM is even better now!

References
  1. 1868 illustration by Walter Hood Fitch (1817 – 1892) - Curtis's Botanical Magazine v94 (1868) Plate 5713
  2. "Strophanthus speciosus". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  3. Snyman, Hannelie (Kirstenbosch NBG). "Strophanthus speciosus (Ward & Harv.) Reber". PlantZAfrica. SANBI. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  4. Medicinal Plants. PROTA. 2008. p. 560. ISBN 978-9-05782-204-9.


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