Tabernaemontana

Tabernaemontana
Tabernaemontana divaricata 'Flore Pleno'
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Rauvolfioideae
Tribe: Tabernaemontaneae
Subtribe: Tabernaemontaninae
Genus: Tabernaemontana
Plum. ex L. 1753
Synonyms[1]
  • Anacampta Miers
  • Anartia Miers
  • Bonafousia A.DC.
  • Camerunia (Pichon) Boiteau
  • Capuronetta Markgr.
  • Clerkia Neck.
  • Codonemma Miers
  • Conopharyngia G.Don
  • Domkeocarpa Markgr.
  • Ervatamia (A.DC.) Stapf
  • Gabunia K.Schum.
  • Hazunta Pichon
  • Leptopharyngia (Stapf) Boiteau
  • Merizadenia Miers
  • Muntafara Pichon
  • Ochronerium Baill.
  • Odontostigma A.Rich.
  • Oistanthera Markgr.
  • Pagiantha Markgr.
  • Pandaca Noronha ex Thouars
  • Pandacastrum Pichon
  • Peschiera A.DC
  • Phrissocarpus Miers
  • Protogabunia Boiteau
  • Pterotaberna Stapf
  • Quadricasaea Woodson
  • Reichardia Dennst. 1818, illegitimate homonym, not Roth 1787 nor Roth 1800 nor Roth 1821
  • Rejoua Gaudich.
  • Sarcopharyngia (Stapf) Boiteau
  • Stemmadenia Benth.
  • Stenosolen (Müll.Arg.) Markgr.
  • Taberna Miers
  • Testudipes Markgr.
  • Woytkowskia Woodson

Tabernaemontana is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It has a pan-tropical distribution, found in Asia, Africa, Australia, North America, South America, and a wide assortment of oceanic islands.[1][2] These plants are evergreen shrubs and small trees growing to 1–15 m tall. The leaves are 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.

Some members of the genus Tabernaemontana are used as additives to some versions of the psychedelic drink ayahuasca;[3] the genus is known to contain ibogaine (e.g. in bëcchëte, T. undulata), conolidine (present in minor concentration in T. divaricata)[4] and voacangine (T. alba, T. arborea, T. africana).[5] Because of presence of coronaridine and voacangine in Mexican Tabernaemontana species,[5] those plant could be used in economic production of anti-addictive alkaloids especially ibogaine and ibogamine.[6] 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.[7] Conolidine may be developed as a new class of pain killer.[8] Caterpillars of the oleander hawk-moth (Daphnis nerii) have been found to feed on the pinwheelflower (T. divaricata).

  1. ^ a b "WCSP (2013). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families". Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  2. ^ Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 152 狗牙花属 gou ya hua shu Tabernaemontana Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 210. 1753.
  3. ^ Ott (1995)
  4. ^ Kam, Toh-Seok; Pang, Huey-Shen; Choo, Yeun-Mun; Komiyama, Kanki (2004). "Biologically Active Ibogan and Vallesamine Derivatives from Tabernaemontana divaricata". Chemistry & Biodiversity. 1 (4): 646–656. doi:10.1002/cbdv.200490056. PMID 17191876. S2CID 12805328.
  5. ^ a b Krengel F, Herrera Santoyo J, Olivera Flores TJ, Chávez Ávila VM, Pérez Flores FJ, Reyes Chilpa R (December 2016). "Quantification of Anti-Addictive Alkaloids Ibogaine and Voacangine in In Vivo- and In Vitro-Grown Plants of Two Mexican Tabernaemontana Species". Chemistry & Biodiversity. 13 (12): 1730–1737. doi:10.1002/cbdv.201600146. PMID 27448833. S2CID 46046257.
  6. ^ Krengel F, Chevalier Q, Dickinson J, Herrera Santoyo J, Reyes Chilpa R (April 2019). "Metabolite Profiling of Anti-Addictive Alkaloids from Four Mexican Tabernaemontana Species and the Entheogenic African Shrub Tabernanthe iboga (Apocynaceae)". Chemistry & Biodiversity. 16 (4): e1800506. doi:10.1002/cbdv.201800506. PMID 30618175. S2CID 58612529. (Erratum: doi:10.1002/cbdv.201900316)
  7. ^ Rodrigues & Carlini (2006)
  8. ^ "Scientists create new type of painkiller". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 May 2011.