Dogbane family | ||||||||||
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![]() Alyxia oliviformis
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Scientific classification | ||||||||||
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Type genus | ||||||||||
Apocynum L. |
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Genera | ||||||||||
Synonyms | ||||||||||
Asclepiadaceae Borkh. (nom. cons.) |
The Apocynaceae or dogbane family is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas.
Many species are tall trees found in tropical rainforests, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some grow in tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also 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 |
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:
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.
Species in this family are distributed mainly in tropical regions:
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.
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:
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), Adenium (desert-rose).
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.