''Cerbera'' is a
genus of
evergreen small
trees or
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
s, native to tropical
Asia,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Madagascar, and various islands in the
Indian Ocean and the western
Pacific Ocean.
[
Three trees of this genus are mangroves, '' Cerbera floribunda'', '' Cerbera manghas'' and '' Cerbera odollam''.
The leaves are alternate and lack interpetiolar stipules. The tubular ]corolla
Corolla may refer to:
*Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit
*Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name
* Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown
* ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...
s are actinomorphic, i.e. they are symmetric and can be divided in halves along any diameter.
All trees contain a white latex. The fruits are drupe
In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...
s.
The genus is named after Cerberus because all its parts are poison
Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...
ous : they contain cerberin, a cardiac glycoside, a substance that blocks electric impulses in the body (including the beating of the heart). Therefore, it is advised to avoid using wood from Cerbera species due to their toxicity, and as their smoke may cause lethal poisoning.
The genus is related to '' Cerberiopsis'',[Potgieter, K., and V. A. Albert. (2001) Phylogenetic Relationships within Apocynaceae S.l. Based on trnL Intron and trnL-F Spacer Sequences and Propagule Characters.” Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 88 (4): 523–49.] endemic to New Caledonia
)
, anthem = ""
, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
, mapsize = 290px
, subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
.
;Species[
*'' Cerbera dilatata'' Markgraf. - Chiute - Mariana Islands
* '' Cerbera dumicola'' P.I.Forst. - Queensland
* '' Cerbera floribunda'' K. Schumann – Cassowary Plum - Queensland, New Guinea, Maluku, Sulawesi, Solomon Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, Micronesia
* '' Cerbera inflata'' S.T. Blake – Grey Milkwood, Milky Pine - Queensland, Papua New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago
* '' Cerbera laeta'' A.J.M.Leeuwenberg - Papua New Guinea
* '' Cerbera manghas'' L. - Tanzania, Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, S China, Ryukyu Islands, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Indochina, insular Southeast Asia, N Australia, numerous Pacific islands
* '' Cerbera odollam'' Gaertn. – Suicide Tree - India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Indochina, insular Southeast Asia, Queensland, numerous Pacific islands
;formerly included
* ''Cerbera obovata'' Roem. & Schult. = '' Craspidospermum verticillatum'' Bojer ex Decne.
* ''Cerbera oppositifolia'' Lam. = '' Ochrosia oppositifolia'' (Lam.) K.Schum.
]
References
Gallery
Image:Cerbera manghas.jpg, ''Cerbera manghas'' tree in Hong Kong, early June.
Image:Cerbera manghas flower.jpg, ''Cerbera manghas'' flowers
Apocynaceae genera
{{Apocynaceae-stub