''Strophanthus sarmentosus'' grows as either a deciduous shrub or as a

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 ...

up to long, with a stem diameter up to . Its fragrant flowers feature a white to purple corolla, red or purple-streaked on the inside. ''Strophanthus sarmentosus'' is native from west and central tropical Africa to

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

and

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

. Vernacular names for the plant include spider tresses and poison arrow vine. Its habitat is forested areas from sea level to altitude. The numerous local medicinal uses of ''S. sarmentosus'' include treatment of joint pain, head lice, eye conditions and venereal disease. The plant 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 ...

. Botanist John Baldwin discovered that ''Strophanthus sarmentosus'' was a natural source of the steroid hormone

cortisone Cortisone is a pregnene (21-carbon) steroid hormone. It is a naturally-occurring corticosteroid metabolite that is also used as a pharmaceutical prodrug; it is not synthesized in the adrenal glands. Cortisol is converted by the action of the enzy ...

and was used in the early manufacture of cortisone-based drugs.

Gallery

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13955255 sarmentosus Flora of Africa Plants described in 1802 Plants used in traditional African medicine