Acokanthera schimperi

Acokanthera schimperi, belonging to the family Apocynaceae, is a small tree native to eastern and central Africa as well as to Yemen.

Acokanthera schimperi
Acokanthera schimperi[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Acokanthera
Species:
A. schimperi
Binomial name
Acokanthera schimperi
Synonyms[2]
  • Acokanthera abyssinica K.Schum. nom. illeg.
  • Acokanthera deflersii Schweinf. ex Lewin
  • Acokanthera friesiorum Markgr.
  • Acokanthera ouabaio Cathelineau ex Lewin
  • Acokanthera schimperi (A. DC.) Benth. & Hook. f.
  • Arduina schimperi (A.DC.) Baill.
  • Carissa deflersii (Schweinf. ex Lewin) Pichon
  • Carissa friesiorum (Markgr.) Cufod.
  • Carissa inepta Perrot & Vogt
  • Carissa schimperi A.DC.

Uses

The bark, wood and roots of Acokanthera schimperi are used as an important ingredient of arrow poison in Africa. All plant parts contain acovenoside A and ouabaïne, which are cardiotonic glycosides. Its fruit is edible, and is eaten as a famine food. When ripe they are sweet but also slightly bitter. Unripe fruits have caused accidental poisoning as they are highly toxic.[3]

The maned rat spreads the plant's poison on its fur and becomes poisonous.[4]

It is also used in traditional African medicine.[5] In Ethiopia, for example, Acokanthera schimperi leaves have been traditionally used for jaundice.[6]

Geographic distribution

Acokanthera schimperi is native to Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and DR Congo. It is the only species in the genus that also occurs outside Africa, in southern Yemen.[7]

References
  1. illustration from Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen 1897
  2. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
  3. Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors), 2008. Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 11(1). Medicinal plants 1. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen, Netherlands / Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, Netherlands / CTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. 791 pp.
  4. Morelle, Rebecca (2011-08-03). "African crested rat uses poison trick to foil predators". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  5. Gebre-Mariam, T; Neubert, R; Schmidt, P. C.; Wutzler, P; Schmidtke, M (2006). "Antiviral activities of some Ethiopian medicinal plants used for the treatment of dermatological disorders". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 104 (1–2): 182–7. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2005.08.071. PMID 16233967.
  6. Tewari, Devesh; Mocan, Andrei; Parvanov, Emil D; Sah, Archana N; Nabavi, Seyed M; Huminiecki, Lukasz; Ma, Zheng Feei; Lee, Yeong Yeh; Horbańczuk, Jarosław O; Atanasov, Atanas G (2017). "Ethnopharmacological Approaches for Therapy of Jaundice: Part I". Frontiers in Pharmacology. 8: 518. doi:10.3389/fphar.2017.00518. PMC 5559545. PMID 28860989.
  7. "Acokanthera schimperi". www.ville-ge.ch. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
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