Adenium boehmianum

Adenium boehmianum, the Bushman poison, is a poisonous succulent endemic to the mostly dry regions of northern Namibia and southern Angola.[1] The San people boil the root sap and latex to prepare arrow poison, which is sufficient for hunting large mammals, as it contains strong cardiotoxic effects.[1] The leaves, borne only for three months a year, are arranged spirally and are clustered near the branch tips. A plant will flower for only a few weeks in winter.[1] The oblong fruit releases many seeds through a longitudinal slit, which due to their lateral tufts, can be dispersed by wind.

Adenium boehmianum
In flower near the Cunene River, Namibia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Adenium
Species:
A. boehmianum
Binomial name
Adenium boehmianum

See also

References

  1. Schmelzer, G.H., Gurib-Fakim, A. (2008). Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 11(1), Medicinal plants 1. Wageningen, Netherlands: Prota Foundation, Backhuys Publishers, CTA. pp. 43–45. ISBN 978-90-5782-204-9.


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