APOCYNACEAE

The 'Apocynaceae' or 'dogbane family' is a family of flowering plants, including trees, shrubs, herbs, or lianas.
Many species are tall trees found in the tropical rainforest, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some come from tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also some perennial herbs from temperate zones. Many of these plants have milky sap; and many species are poisonous if ingested. Some genera of Apocynaceae, such as ''Adenium'' however, have either clear and milky, latex sap, and others, such as ''Pachypodium'', always have clear sap.

Contents

Taxonomy

Distribution

Characteristics

Genera

Apocynoideae

Uses

References

External links

Taxonomy

The family, as currently recognized, includes some 1500 species divided in about 424 genera. The family Asclepiadaceae is now, according to AGP II included in the 'Apocynaceae' (Endress & Bruyns, 2000).
There are five subfamilies:

★ Rauvolfioideae

★ Apocynoideae

★ Periplocoideae

★ Secamonoideae

★ Asclepiadoideae
The former two sub-families were part of the Apocynaceae ''sensu stricto'', whilst the latter three sub-families used to belong to the Asclepiadaceae. The Apocynaceae is the result of a conflation of the two families.

Distribution

Species in this family are distributed mainly in tropical regions:

★ In the rainforests and swamps of India and Malaya: small to very tall evergreen trees, often with buttress roots, such as ''Alstonia'' and ''Dyera''.

★ In northern Australia: small evergreen trees such as ''Cerbera'' and ''Ochrosia''.

★ In deciduous forests of Africa and India: smaller trees such as ''Carissa'', ''Wrightia'' and ''Holarrhena''.

★ In tropical America, India, Myanmar and Malaya: evergreen trees and shrubs, such as ''Rauwolfia'', ''Tabernaemontana'' and ''Acokanthera''.

★ In Central America: ''Plumeria'', or the frangipani, with its waxy white or pink flowers and a sweet scent.

★ In South America, Africa and Madagascar: many lianas such as ''Landolphia''.

★ In the Mediterranean region: ''Nerium'', with the well-known oleander or Be-still tree (''Nerium oleander'').

★ The only genera found in temperate Europe away from the Mediterranean are ''Vinca'' (Apocynoideae) and ''Vincetoxicum'' (Asclepiadoideae).

★ In North America: ''Apocynum'', dogbane or Indian hemp, including ''Apocynum cannabinum'', a traditional source of fiber.

★ In continental southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe) and Madgascar, except for the humid evergreen forest of the eastern side of Madgascar, and never above 2000 m for the entire island: ''Pachypodium''.

Characteristics

The leaves are simple, usually opposite and decussate, or whorled; lacking stipules. Flowers are usually showy, radially symmetrical (''actinomorphic''), aggregated in cymose or racemose inflorescences (rarely fasciculate or solitary). They are perfect (bisexual), with a synsepalous, 5-lobed calyx. Inflorescences are terminal or axillary. The stamens are inserted on the inside of the corolla tube. The ovary is usually superior.
The fruit is a drupe, a berry, a capsule or a follicle.

Genera

Apocynoideae

''Acokanthera''	''Adenium''	''Aganonerion''	''Aganosma''
''Alafia''	''Allamanda''	''Allomarkgrafia''	''Allowoodsonia''
''Alstonia''	''Alyxia''	''Amocalyx''	''Ambelania''
''Amsonia''	''Ancylobotrys''	''Anechites''	''Angadenia''
''Anodendron''	''Apocynum''	''Arduina''	''Artia''
''Asketanthera''	''Aspidosperma''	''Baissea''	''Beaumontia''
''Bousigonia''	''Cabucala''	''Callichilia''	''Calocrater''
''Cameraria''	''Carissa''	''Carpodinus''	''Carruthersia''
''Carvalhoa''	''Catharanthus''	''Cerbera''	''Cerberiopsis''
''Chamaeclitandra''	''Chilocarpus''	''Chonemorpha''	''Cleghornia''
''Clitandra''	''Condylocarpon''	''Couma''	''Craspidospermum''
''Crioceras''	''Cycladenia''	''Cyclocotyla''	''Cylindropsis''
''Delphyodon''	''Dewevrella''	''Dictyophleba''	''Dipladenia''
''Diplorhynchus''	''Dyera''	''Ecdysanthera''	''Echites''
''Elytropus''	''Epigynium''	''Eucorymbia''	''Farquharia''
''Fernaldia''	''Forsteronia''	''Funtumia''	''Galactophora''
''Geissospermum''	''Gonioma''	''Grisseea''	''Gymnema''
''Hancornia''	''Haplophyton''	''Himatanthus''	''Holarrhena''
''Hunteria''	''Hymenolophus''	''Ichnocarpus''	''Isonema''
''Ixodonerium''	''Kamettia''	''Kibatalia''	''Kopsia''
''Lacmellea''	''Landolphia''	''Laubertia''	''Laxoplumeria''
''Lepinia''	''Lepiniopsis''	''Leuconotis''	''Lochnera''
''Lyonsia''	''Macoubea''	''Macropharynx''	''Macrosiphonia''
''Malouetia''	''Mandevilla''	''Mascarenhasia''	''Melodinus''
''Mesechites''	''Micrechtites''	''Microplumeria''	''Molongum''
''Mortoniella''	''Motandra''	''Mucoa''	''Neobracea''
''Neocouma''	''Nerium''	''Nouettea''	''Ochrosia''
''Odontadenia''	''Oncinotis''	''Orthopichonia''	''Pachypodium''
''Pachouria''	''Papuechites''	''Parahancornia''	''Parameria''
''Parepigynum''	''Parsonsia''	''Peltastes''	''Pentalinon''
''Petchia''	''Picralima''	''Plectaneia''	''Pleiocarpa''
''Pleioceras''	''Plumeria''	''Pottsia''	''Prestonia''
''Pycnobotrya''	''Quiotania''	''Rauwolfia''	''Rhabdadenia''
''Rhazya''	''Rhigospira''	''Rhodocalyx''	''Rhyncodia''
''Saba''	''Schizozygia''	''Secondatia''
''Sindechites''	''Skytanthus''	''Spirolobium''	''Spongiosperma''
''Stemmadenia''	''Stephanostegia''	''Stephanostema''	''Stipecoma''
''Strempeliopsis''	''Strophanthus''	''Tabernaemontana''	''Tabernanthe''
''Temnadenia''	''Thenardia''	''Thevetia''	''Tintinnabularia''
''Trachelospermum''	''Urceola''	''Urnularia''	''Vahadenia''
''Vallariopsis''	''Vallaris''	''Vallesia''	''Vinca''
''Voacanga''	''Willughbeia''	''Woytkowskia''	''Wrightia''
''Xylinabaria''	''Xylinabariopsis''

The following genera used to belong to the family Asclepiadaceae :

★ ''Araujia''

★ ''Asclepias'' (subfamily Asclepiadoideae)

★ ''Caralluma''

★ ''Ceropegia''

★ ''Cionura''

★ ''Cynanchum''

★ ''Periploca'' (Subfamily Periplocoideae)

★ ''Vincetoxicum''

Uses

Several plants of this family had economic uses in the past.
The genera ''Carpodinus'', ''Landolphia'', ''Hancornia'', ''Funtumia'' and ''Mascarenhasia'' were used as a commercial source of inferior rubber.
The juice of ''Acokanthera'' species such as ''A. venenata'' and the milky juice of the Namibian ''Pachypodium'' has been used as venom for arrow tips by the Bushmen. Some sources (Rapananrivo et al. on p. 5) state that ''Pachypodium'' do not have a milky sap.
Several genera are grown as ornamental plants, including ''Amsonia'' (bluestar), ''Nerium'' (oleander), ''Vinca'' (periwinkle), ''Carissa'' (Natal plum, an edible fruit), ''Allamanda'' (golden trumpet), ''Plumeria'' (frangipani), ''Thevetia'' (lucky nut), ''Mandevilla'' (Savannah flower).
''Rauvolfia cafra'' is the Quinine tree. ''Rauvolfia serpentina'' or Indian Snakeroot yields the alkaloids reserpine and rescinnamine.
Some are sources of drugs, such as cardiac glycosides, affecting the heart function, including ''Acokanthera'', ''Apocynum'', ''Cerbera'', ''Nerium'', ''Thevetia'' and ''Strophantus''.
The genus ''Apocynum'' was used as a source of fiber by Native Americans.
The edible flower of Fernaldia pandurata (common name: Loroco) is a popular part of El Salvadorian and Guatemalan cooking.

References

★ A revised classification of the Apocynaceae, Endress and Bruyns, , , Botanical Review, 2000

★ Rapanarivo, S.H.J.V; Lavranos, J.J; Leeuwenberg, A.J.M.; AND Röösli, W. [Taxonomic revision of the genus Pachypodium. S.H.J.V Rapanarivo and A.J.M Leeuwenberg]; [The habitats of Pachyopdium species. S.H.J.V Rapanarivo]; [Cultivation. W. Röösli] (A.A. Balkema: Rotterdam, Brookfeild, 1999 p. 5) ". . . ''Adenium'' species have either clear sap or white latex. ''Pachypodium'' . . . always has clear sap".

External links

★ Apocynaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards).

★ UVSC Herbarium - Apocynaceae

★ The Genera of Asclepiadoideae, Secamonoideae and Periplocoideae (Apocynaceae)