Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
Ornamental - It is often cultivated as an ornamental plant, where it can be grown as a hedge. Medicine - It is a very poisonous plant, containing a powerful cardiac toxin, and should only be used with extreme caution. The leaves and the flowers are cardiotonic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, expectorant and sternutatory. A decoction of the leaves has been applied externally in the treatment of scabies, and to reduce swellings.
Afghanistan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan
Thrives primarily in the dry tropical climate: moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests, plains.
It is shrub (3 m) or small tree (30-40 m) depending on growing conditions.
Stem is adaptable to its growth form. Shrubs have a shorter, pale-colored stem, while trees develop a sturdier, thicker main stem with rougher bark that may crack over time. Regardless of form, the stem starts smooth and lightweight, offering little structural support.
Leaves are dark dusty green leathery which grow in whorls. They are narrow lancelike, 5-21 cm long and 1-3.5 cm broad, with an entire margin.
Flowers are found in clusters at the end of each branch. Each flower has five petals with fringed edges at the base. The flowers come in a variety of colors, including purplish red, pink, white, salmon, or yellow. The flower itself has a tube-shaped center that is 1.2-2.2 cm long, and petals that flare out to 1.3-3 cm long. They can have a single or double layer of petals.
Fruit is a long narrow capsule, 5-23 cm long, which splits open at maturity to release numerous downy seeds. Seeds oblong, and have a fluffy tail that helps them spread in the wind. This tail, called a coma, is typically 0.9 - 1.2 cm long.
Flowering: Spring-autumn.