''Tabernaemontana'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 Members ...

. It has a pan-tropical distribution, found in Asia, Africa, Australia, North America, South America, and a wide assortment of oceanic islands. These plants are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from tree ...

s and small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s growing to 1–15 m tall. The

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

are opposite, 3–25 cm long, with milky sap; hence it is one of the diverse plant genera commonly called "milkwood". The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

s are fragrant, white, 1–5 cm in diameter. The

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

'' T. divaricata'' cv. 'Plena', with doubled-

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

ed flowers, is a popular

houseplant A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...

. Some members of the genus ''Tabernaemontana'' are used as additives to some versions of the psychedelic drink

ayahuasca AyahuascaPronounced as in the UK and in the US. Also occasionally known in English as ''ayaguasca'' ( Spanish-derived), ''aioasca'' (Brazilian Portuguese-derived), or as ''yagé'', pronounced or . Etymologically, all forms but ''yagé'' desce ...

; the genus is known to contain

ibogaine Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance found in plants in the family Apocynaceae such as '' Tabernanthe iboga'', '' Voacanga africana'', and '' Tabernaemontana undulata''. It is a psychedelic with dissociative properties. Pre ...

(e.g. in bëcchëte, ''T. undulata''), conolidine (present in minor concentration in ''T. divaricata'') and voacangine ('' T. alba'', '' T. arborea'', '' T. africana''). Because of presence of

coronaridine Coronaridine, also known as 18-carbomethoxyibogamine, is an alkaloid found in ''Tabernanthe iboga'' and related species, including ''Tabernaemontana divaricata'' for which (under the now obsolete synonym ''Ervatamia coronaria'') it was named. Li ...

and

voacangine Voacangine (12-methoxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester) is an alkaloid found predominantly in the root bark of the '' Voacanga africana'' tree, as well as in other plants such as ''Tabernanthe iboga'', '' Tabernaemontana africana'', ''Tra ...

in Mexican ''Tabernaemontana'' species, those plant could be used in economic production of anti-addictive alkaloids especially ibogaine and ibogamine. '' T. sananho'' preparations are used in native medicine to treat eye injuries and as an

anxiolytic An anxiolytic (; also antipanic or antianxiety agent) is a medication or other intervention that reduces anxiety. This effect is in contrast to anxiogenic agents which increase anxiety. Anxiolytic medications are used for the treatment of anxiet ...

, and '' T. heterophylla'' is used to treat

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

in the elderly. Conolidine may be developed as a new class of pain killer.

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sy ...

s of the oleander hawk-moth (''Daphnis nerii'') have been found to feed on the pinwheelflower (''T. divaricata'').

Taxonomy

;Publication The genus was described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...

and published in

Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial names and was the ...

1: 210–211 in 1753. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specim ...

is '' T. citrifolia''. ;Etymology The genus name commemorates the "father of German botany" Jakob Theodor von Bergzabern, a.k.a. Jacobus Theodorus Tabernaemontanus, ''Tabernaemontanus'' being a compressed form of the original

Medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functioned ...

name (''Tabernae Montanus'') of the botanist's home town of Bergzabern - both the Latin and the German forms of the town's name meaning "tavern(s) in the mountains". ;Species

Gallery

Image:Tabernaemontana divaricata - JBM.jpg, Ornamental pinwheelflower (''T. divaricata'') cv. 'Plena' Image:Tabernaemontana divaricata habitus - JBM.jpg, Habitus of '' T. divaricata'' Image:Krötenbaum.jpg, '' T. elegans'' ( toad tree) : undehisced fruit Image:Tabernaemontana catharinensis (1).JPG, ''

Tabernaemontana catharinensis ''Tabernaemontana catharinensis'' is a species of plant 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 k ...

'': dehiscence of paired, ripe fruits, revealing black seeds in deep orange pulp. Image:Tabernaemontana pandacaqui Blanco1.41.jpg, '' T. pandacaqui'' ( banana bush) Image:Tabernaemontana-2016.jpg, '' T. pachysiphon''

References

* (1995): ''In: Ayahuasca Analogues: Pangaean Entheogens''. * (2006): Plants with possible psychoactive effects used by the Krahô Indians, Brazil. ''Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria'' 28(4): 277–282
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q310915 Apocynaceae genera Ayahuasca

Taxonomy

Gallery

See also

References