''Rauvolfia afra'' is a tree in the family
Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae (, from '' Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Notable mem ...
. It is commonly known as the quinine tree. These trees are distributed from the
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...
of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
to
tropical Africa and are found in low-lying forests near rivers and streams, or on
floodplain
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
s.
Taxonomy
The original etymology of the species name ''caffra'' is related to
kaffir, an ethnic slur used towards black people in Africa. At the July 2024
International Botanical Congress, a vote was held with the result that "''caffra''" related names will be amended to ''afra'' related ones, with this being implemented at the end of July 2024.
Gallery
Image:Rauvolfia_caffra_leaves_fruit.JPG,
Image:Quininetree (Rauvolfia caffra) (11452988133).jpg,
Image:Rauvolfia caffra kz2.JPG,
References
Further reading
*
afra
Quinine
Plants described in 1850
Flora of Africa
Taxa named by Otto Wilhelm Sonder
{{Apocynaceae-stub