''Cynanchum ellipticum'' is a South African climbing plant of the family

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison Members of the ...

, with slender stems and branches, exuding milky, bitter latex that is non-irritant. It occurs in coastal scrub from

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

as far north as

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and further inland up to 1300 m, and may be found on flats or moderate slopes, in sand or between rocks, in indigenous forests and along forest margins and thickets, frequently occurring in disturbed habitats. This sprawling twiner has opposite semi-succulent leaves 20–40 mm long, 10–20 mm wide, elliptic to oblong, broadly elliptic with a prominent tip (apiculate) and a ring-like thickening where the petioles join the stem. Helicoid

cymes An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed on ...

of tiny, white or cream flowers grow from the axils of the leaves, having a tubular corolla and being sweetly scented. The horn-shaped fruits or follicles contain club-shaped plumed seeds. The order Apocynales is renowned for the

cardiac glycoside Cardiac glycosides are a class of organic compounds that increase the output force of the heart and decrease its rate of contractions by inhibiting the cellular sodium-potassium ATPase pump. Their beneficial medical uses are as treatments for co ...

metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

s present in the roots, stems, leaves and seeds of its members. This species produces

pregnane Pregnane, also known as 17β-ethylandrostane or as 10β,13β-dimethyl-17β-ethylgonane, is a C21 steroid and, indirectly, a parent of progesterone. It is a parent hydrocarbon for two series of steroids stemming from 5α-pregnane (originally allop ...

glycosides In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

or cynanchosides. Ingestion of leaves by livestock may lead to Cynanchosis aka 'Krampsiekte'. This should not be confused with 'Krimpsiekte', brought on by species of ''

Cotyledon A cotyledon (; ; ; , gen. (), ) is a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant, and is defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or more of which are the first to appear from a germinating seed." The numb ...

'' and ''

Tylecodon ''Tylecodon'' is a genus of succulent plants in the family Crassulaceae, native to southern Africa. Until the late 1970s all these plants were included in the genus ''Cotyledon'', but in 1978 Helmut Toelken of the Botanical Research Institute, ...

''. Cynanchosis in horses starts with abnormal behaviour and aggression, progressing to pain and lameness in the limbs and ending with an inability to stand. Because of this toxicity the species is regarded as a troublesome weed in some areas. The genus ''Cynanchum'' occurs worldwide and comprises some 200 species, with the major centre of diversity in Africa being in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

where there are approximately 70 species. The current name was published by R. A. Dyer in ''The vegetation of the Divisions Albany and Bathurst - Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa 17: 138. 1937.'' (Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa)

Synonyms

*''Cynanchum capense'' Thunb. *''Vincetoxicum capense'' (Thunb.) Schltr. *''Bunburia elliptica'' Harv.

Gallery

References

External links

Morphology and Distribution of Cynanchineae in AfricaFlowersImages of flowersBotanical diagram
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15398495 ellipticum Flora of Southern Africa