''Tabernaemontana divaricata'', commonly called pinwheel flower, crape jasmine, East India rosebay, and Nero's crown, is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

shrub or small tree native to South Asia, Southeast Asia and China. In zones where it is not hardy it is grown as a house/glasshouse plant for its attractive flowers and foliage. The

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

exudes a milky latex when broken, whence the name milk flower. Crape jasmine flowers in West Bengal

Description

The plant generally grows to a height of and is dichotomously branched. The large shiny leaves are deep green and about in length and in width. The waxy blossoms are found in small clusters on the stem tips. The (single) flowers have the characteristic 'pinwheel' shape also seen in other

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

in the family Apocynaceae such as '' Vinca'' and ''

Nerium ''Nerium oleander'' ( ), most commonly known as oleander or nerium, is a shrub or small tree cultivated worldwide in temperate and subtropical areas as an ornamental and landscaping plant. It is the only species currently classified in the ge ...

''. Both single and double-flowered forms are cultivated, the flowers of both forms being white. The plant blooms in spring but flowers appear sporadically all year. The flowers have a pleasing fragrance. More than 66

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

s are found in the shrub. Its habitats include montane brushwoods and sparse forests. File:Tabernaemontana divaricata by kadavoor.jpg, ''Tabernaemontana divaricata'' 'Flore Pleno' File:Crape jasmine bunch.jpg, Crape jasmine bunch File:Tabernaemontana divaricata at Aanakkulam.jpg, ''Tabernaemontana divaricata'' 'Pinwheel' File:Crepe Jasmine flower yet to blossom.jpg, ''Tabernaemontana divarcata'' yet to blossom File:OHM caterpillar.jpg, Caterpillar of Oleander hawk-moth feeding on pinwheel flower plant File:Flower bud of crape jasmine (Tabernaemontana divaricata).jpg, Flower buds of crape jasmine at night

Phytochemistry

The species is known to produce many

alkaloids Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar st ...

including

catharanthine Catharanthine is a terpene indole alkaloid produced by the medicinal plant ''Catharanthus roseus'' and '' Tabernaemontana divaricata''. Catharanthine is derived from strictosidine, but the exact mechanism by which this happens is currently unknow ...

, coronaridine,

dregamine Dregamine is a naturally occurring monoterpene indole alkaloid found in several species in the genus ''Tabernaemontana'' including '' Ervatamia hirta'' and ''Tabernaemontana divaricata''. History Dregamine was first reported in 1959 after its isola ...

, ibogamine,

tabersonine Tabersonine is a terpene indole alkaloid found in the medicinal plant ''Catharanthus roseus'' and also in the genus Voacanga (both taxa belonging to the alkaloid-rich family Apocynaceae). Tabersonine is hydroxylated at the 16 position by the enzy ...

, voacangine,

voacamine Voacamine, also known under the older names voacanginine and vocamine, is a naturally occurring dimeric indole alkaloid of the secologanin type, found in a number of plants, including ''Voacanga africana'' and ''Tabernaemontana divaricata''. It ...

and

voacristine Voacristine is a indole alkaloid occurring in ''Voacanga'' and ''Tabernaemontana'' genus. It is also an iboga type alkaloid. Chemistry Its structure is almost similar to voacangine, an alkaloid used in semi-synthesis of ibogaine. Compared to v ...

. Ibogaine may occur in multiple ''

Tabernaemontana ''Tabernaemontana'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It has a pan-tropical distribution, found in Asia, Africa, Australia, North America, South America, and a wide assortment of oceanic islands. These plants are evergreen ...

'' species.

Research

There is presence of potent acetylcholinestearase inhibitors in stems and roots of this plant. 3'-R/S-hydroxyvoacamine isolated from a stem extracts act as a non-competitive inhibitor against AChE with an IC₅₀ value of 7.00±1.99 μM. Bisindole alkaloid 19,20-dihydrotabernamine and

19,20-Dihydroervahanine A 19,20-Dihydroervahanine A is an alkaloid, a natural product which is found in the root of the South-East Asian plant Tabernaemontana divaricata. It inhbits acetylcholinestearease more potently than galantamine in vitro. See also * Coronaridine ...

shows higher inhibitory activity on acetylcholinesterase compared with

galanthamine Galantamine is used for the treatment of cognitive decline in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and various other memory impairments. It is an alkaloid that has been isolated from the bulbs and flowers of ''Galanthus nivalis'' (Common snowdro ...

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q45150 divaricata Flora of the Indian subcontinent Flora of Indo-China Flora of China Garden plants of Asia House plants Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Plants used in Ayurveda