Tabernaemontana

Tabernaemontana
Crape Jasmine, Tabernaemontana coronaria
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Gentianales Family: Apocynaceae Subfamily: Rauvolfioideae Genus: Tabernaemontana
Species
About 100-110, see text
Synonyms
Ervatamia

Tabernaemontana is a genus of 100-110 species of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It has a pan-tropical distribution. These plants are shrubs and small trees growing to 1-15 m tall. The leaves are evergreen, opposite, 3-25 cm long, with milky sap; hence it is one of the diverse plant genera commonly called "milkwood". The flowers are fragrant, white, 1-5 cm in diameter.

The cultivar T. divaricata cv. 'Plena', with doubled-petaled flowers, is a popular houseplant. Crape Jasmine (T. coronaria) is also popular as an ornamental plant.

Some members of the genus Tabernaemontana are used as additives to some versions of the psychedelic drink Ayahuasca^[1]; the genus is known to contain ibogaine (e.g. in Bëcchëte, T. undulata) and voacangine (namely in T. africana). T. sananho preparations are used in native medicine to treat eye injuries and as an anxiolytic, and T. heterophylla is used to treat dementia in the elderly^[2].

Caterpillars of the Oleander Hawk-moth (Daphnis nerii) have been found to feed on Pinwheel Flower (T. divaricata).

Selected species

• Tabernaemontana africana. Africa.
• Tabernaemontana alba – White Milkwood. Central America.
• Tabernaemontana amygdalifolia. Southern Mexico, Central America, northern South America.
• Tabernaemontana antheonycta
• Tabernaemontana apoda
• Tabernaemontana bovina. Southern China to Thailand.
• Tabernaemontana bufalina. Southern China to Thailand.
• Tabernaemontana calcarea. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana capuronii. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana catharinensis. Western South America.
• Tabernaemontana ciliata. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana citrifolia – Common Milkwood. Caribbean.
• Tabernaemontana coffeoides. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana cordata
• Tabernaemontana coronaria – Crape Jasmine syn. Tabernaemontana divaricata
• Tabernaemontana corymbosa
• Tabernaemontana crassa. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana crassifolia. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana cumata
• Tabernaemontana cymosa. Western South America.
• Tabernaemontana debrayi. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana divaricata – Pinwheel Flower, Nero's Crown. Northern India to Thailand.
• Tabernaemontana elegans Stapf – Toad Tree. South Africa north to Somalia.
• Tabernaemontana eusepala. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana eusepaloides. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana fuchsiaefolia A.DC.
• Tabernaemontana gamblei
• Tabernaemontana heterophylla Vahl
• Tabernaemontana heyneana
• Tabernaemontana humblotii. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana longipes
• Tabernaemontana mocquerysii. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana muricata
• Tabernaemontana ochroleuca
• Tabernaemontana oppositifolia
• Tabernaemontana orientalis R.Br.
• Tabernaemontana ovalifolia
• Tabernaemontana pachysiphon. Tropical East Africa.
• Tabernaemontana pandacaqui – Banana Bush. Southeast Asia, Australasia, western Pacific Ocean islands.
• Tabernaemontana panamensis
• Tabernaemontana phymata. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana persicariaefolia
• Tabernaemontana polyneura
• Tabernaemontana remota
• Tabernaemontana retusa. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana rostrata. Southeast Asia.
• Tabernaemontana sambiranensis. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana sananho Ruiz & Pav.. Northern South America.
• Tabernaemontana sessilifolia. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana siphilitica. Northern South America.
• Tabernaemontana stellata. Madagascar.
• Tabernaemontana stenosiphon
• Tabernaemontana thurstonii
• Tabernaemontana undulata – Bëcchëte
• Tabernaemontana ventricosa Hochst. ex A.DC. – Forest Toad Tree. Cameroon, South Africa.
• Tabernaemontana wullschlaegelii

Ornamental Pinwheel Flower (T. divaricata) cv. 'Plena'

Habitus of T. divaricata

Tabernaemontana elegans (Toad Tree)

...Tabernaemontana pandacaqui (Banana Bush) bear their common names in reference to their peculiar fruit.

See also

• Psychedelic plants

Footnotes

References

• Ott, Jonathan (1995): Ayahuasca Additive Plants. In: Ayahuasca Analogues: Pangaean Entheogens.
• Rodrigues, Eliana & Carlini, E.A. (2006): Plants with possible psychoactive effects used by the Krahô Indians, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria 28(4): 277-282. PDF fulltext

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