''Strophanthus gratus'' is a plant in the dogbane 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 ...

Description

''Strophanthus gratus'' is a woody

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

that can grow up to , with a trunk diameter of up to . Its fragrant flowers feature a white corolla, topped by red or purple colour, with pink corona lobes.

Distribution and habitat

''Strophanthus gratus'' is native to tropical Africa: from Senegal in the west, east and south to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is naturalized in Taiwan and also Trinidad and Tobago.

Uses

''Strophanthus gratus'' has been used in local traditional medicine:

ouabain Ouabain or (from Somali ''waabaayo'', "arrow poison" through French ''ouabaïo'') also known as g-strophanthin, is a plant derived toxic substance that was traditionally used as an arrow poison in eastern Africa for both hunting and warfare. ...

derived from the plant's seeds is used as a treatment for heart failure. It has also been used as

arrow poison Arrow poisons are used to poison arrow heads or darts for the purposes of hunting and warfare. They have been used by indigenous peoples worldwide and are still in use in areas of South America, Africa and Asia. Notable examples are the poisons se ...

References

gratus Gratus was a Roman soldier and member of the Praetorian Guard, who played a part in the accession of Claudius to the imperial throne. In the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Caligula in AD 41, Claudius fled and hid himself in the pala ...

Medicinal plants of Africa Flora of West Tropical Africa Flora of West-Central Tropical Africa Plants described in 1849 Taxa named by Henri Ernest Baillon Taxa named by William Jackson Hooker Taxa named by Nathaniel Wallich {{Apocynaceae-stub