''Allamanda'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in 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 ...

. They are native to the Americas, where they are distributed from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Some species are familiar as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s cultivated for their large, colorful flowers. Most species produce yellow flowers; ''A. blanchetii'' bears pink flowers.de Souza-Silva, R. F. and A. Rapini. (2009)
''Allamanda calcicola'' (Apocynaceae), an overlooked new species from limestone outcrops in the States of Minas Gerais and Bahia, Brazil.
''Kew Bulletin'' 64(1), 171–74. The genus name ''Allamanda'' honors the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and physician

Frédéric-Louis Allamand Frédéric-Louis Allamand (February 5, 1736, Payerne, Vaud – March 3, 1809, Valkenburg, South Holland) was a Swiss botanist. Born in Payerne, Switzerland, he moved to Leiden, Netherlands in 1749 to live with his uncle, Jean-Nicolas-Sébastie ...

(1736–1809).''Allamanda''.
FloraBase. Western Australian Herbarium. It is the official flower of

Kuching North City Hall The Commission of Kuching North City Hall ( ms, Suruhanjaya Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara, abbreviated DBKU) is the commission which administers the northern part of the city of Kuching in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. This commission was establi ...

Description

Plants of the genus are

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 ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

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, or

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

s. They contain a white

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...

. The leaves are opposite or arranged in whorls of up to 5. The blades are generally oval and smooth-edged, and some are leathery or lightly hairy. The

inflorescence 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 o ...

is a compound cyme. The flower has five lobed

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s and a bell- or funnel-shaped corolla of five petals, yellow in most species. The fruit is a

schizocarp A schizocarp is a dry fruit that, when mature, splits up into mericarps. There are different definitions: * Any dry fruit composed of multiple carpels that separate. : Under this definition the mericarps can contain one or more seeds (the m ...

containing two to four seeds. Allemanda neriifolia 12

Chemistry and medicine

In lab analyses ''Allamanda'' species have yielded several chemical compounds, including

iridoid Iridoids are a type of monoterpenoids in the general form of cyclopentanopyran, found in a wide variety of plants and some animals. They are biosynthetically derived from 8-oxogeranial. Iridoids are typically found in plants as glycosides, mos ...

lactone Lactones are cyclic carboxylic esters, containing a 1-oxacycloalkan-2-one structure (), or analogues having unsaturation or heteroatoms replacing one or more carbon atoms of the ring. Lactones are formed by intramolecular esterification of the co ...

s such as allamandin, plumericin, and plumierides. Plumericin particularly was demonstrated to be a highly potent

NF-κB Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) is a protein complex that controls transcription of DNA, cytokine production and cell survival. NF-κB is found in almost all animal cell types and is involved in cellular ...

inhibitor with anti-inflammatory activity ''in vitro'' and ''in vivo'', while its structurally related derivatives plumierdin, plumeridoid C, and allamandicin did not have activity. The

lignan The lignans are a large group of low molecular weight polyphenols found in plants, particularly seeds, whole grains, and vegetables. The name derives from the Latin word for "wood". Lignans are precursors to phytoestrogens. They may play a role ...

pinoresinol Pinoresinol is a tetrahydrofuran lignan found in ''Styrax sp.'', ''Forsythia suspensa, and in Forsythia koreana''. It is also found in the caterpillar of the cabbage butterfly, ''Pieris rapae'' where it serves as a defence against ants. In food, i ...

and

coumarin Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by a lactone-like chain , forming a second six-membered h ...

s such as

scopoletin Scopoletin is a coumarin. It found in the root of plants in the genus ''Scopolia'' such as ''Scopolia carniolica'' and ''Scopolia japonica'', in chicory, in '' Artemisia scoparia'', in the roots and leaves of stinging nettle (''Urtica dioica''), i ...

and

scoparone Scoparone is a natural organic compound with the molecular formula C11H10O4. It is found in the Chinese herb '' Artemisia scoparia'' and has been studied for its potential pharmacological properties including immunosuppression Immunosuppression ...

have been isolated from ''A. schottii''.Schmidt, D. D. F. N., et al. (2006)
Evaluation of the anti-proliferative effect the extracts of ''Allamanda blanchetti'' and ''A. schottii'' on the growth of leukemic and endothelial cells.
''J Pharm Pharm Sci'' 9, 200–08. ''Allamanda'' species have been used in systems of

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

for various purposes. ''A. cathartica'' has been used to treat

liver tumor Liver tumors (also known as hepatic tumors) are abnormal growth of liver cells on or in the liver. Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. Liver tumors can be classified as beni ...

jaundice Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving abnormal heme meta ...

splenomegaly Splenomegaly is an enlargement of the spleen. The spleen usually lies in the left upper quadrant (LUQ) of the human abdomen. Splenomegaly is one of the four cardinal signs of ''hypersplenism'' which include: some reduction in number of circulating ...

, and

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

. In analyses, some species have shown some activity against

carcinoma Carcinoma is a malignancy that develops from epithelial cells. Specifically, a carcinoma is a cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that arises from cells originating in the endodermal, mesodermal ...

cells,

pathogenic fungi Pathogenic fungi are fungi that cause disease in humans or other organisms. Approximately 300 fungi are known to be pathogenic to humans. Markedly more fungi are known to be pathogenic to plant life than those of the animal kingdom. The study of ...

, and

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

Cultivation

In the wild, allamandas grow along riverbanks and other open, sunny areas with adequate rainfall and perpetually moist substrate. The plants do not tolerate shade or salty or alkaline soils, and they are sensitive to frost. They grow rapidly, sometimes spreading 3 meters per year. They can be propagated from cuttings. Can be trained as a standard.

Ecology

Allamandas have become naturalized throughout the tropics, growing in roadside ditches, abandoned yards, and dumps. ''A. cathartica'' in particular is an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. Cutting is ineffective as a means of control, because the plants respond to

coppicing Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management Forest management is a branch of forestry concerned with overall administrative, legal, economic, and social aspects, as well as scientific and technical aspects, such as silviculture, pro ...

Taxonomy

There are about 12 to 15 valid species in the genus. Allamanda blanchetii 1

Species and synonyms include: Allamanda angustifolia - Pohl-cropped

*'' Allamanda angustifolia'' Pohl *'' Allamanda blanchetii'' A.DC. – purple allamanda, violet allamanda, violet trumpetvine *'' Allamanda calcicola'' *'' Allamanda cathartica'' L. – yellow allamanda, golden-trumpet, common trumpetvine brownbud allamanda *'' Allamanda doniana'' Müll.Arg. *'' Allamanda laevis'' Markgr. *'' Allamanda martii'' Müll.Arg. *'' Allamanda nobilis'' T.Moore *'' Allamanda oenotherifolia'' Pohl *'' Allamanda polyantha'' Müll.Arg. *'' Allamanda puberula'' A.DC. *'' Allamanda schottii'' Pohl – bush allamanda *'' Allamanda setulosa'' Miq. *'' Allamanda thevetifolia'' Müll.Arg. *'' Allamanda weberbaueri'' Markgr.

References

External links

''Allamanda cathartica''.
In: Francis, J. K. ''Wildland Shrubs of the United States and its Territories''. USDA Forest Service, IITF, Shrub Sciences Laboratory.
''Allamanda''.
Flora Brasiliensis. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1262196 Apocynaceae genera