''Allamanda'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s 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 ...

. They are native to the Americas, where they are distributed from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. Some species are familiar as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

s cultivated for their large, colorful flowers. Most species produce yellow flowers; ''A. blanchetii'' bears pink flowers.de Souza-Silva, R. F. and A. Rapini. (2009)
''Allamanda calcicola'' (Apocynaceae), an overlooked new species from limestone outcrops in the States of Minas Gerais and Bahia, Brazil.
''Kew Bulletin'' 64(1), 171–74. The genus name ''Allamanda'' honors the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and physician

Frédéric-Louis Allamand Frédéric-Louis Allamand (February 5, 1736, Payerne, Vaud – March 3, 1809, Valkenburg, South Holland) was a Swiss botanist. Born in Payerne, Switzerland, he moved to Leiden, Netherlands in 1749 to live with his uncle, Jean-Nicolas-Sébastien Al ...

(1736–1809).''Allamanda''.
FloraBase. Western Australian Herbarium. It is the official flower of

Kuching North City Hall The Commission of Kuching North City Hall (, abbreviated DBKU) is the commission which administers the northern part of the city of Kuching in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung P ...

Description

Plants of the genus are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

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, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

shrub A shrub or 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 trees by their multiple ...

s, or

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

s. They contain a white

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latices are found in nature, but synthetic latices are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a wikt:milky, milky fluid, which is present in 10% of all floweri ...

. The leaves are opposite or arranged in whorls of up to 5. The blades are generally oval and smooth-edged, and some are leathery or lightly hairy. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a compound cyme. The flower has five lobed

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and a bell- or funnel-shaped corolla of five petals, yellow in most species. The fruit is a

schizocarp A schizocarp is a dry fruit that, when mature, splits up into mericarps. There are different definitions: * Any Dry fruits, dry fruit composed of multiple carpels that separate. : Under this definition the mericarps can contain one or more ...

containing two to four seeds. Allemanda neriifolia 12

Chemistry and medicine

In lab analyses ''Allamanda'' species have yielded several chemical compounds, including

iridoid Iridoids are a type of monoterpenoids in the general form of cyclopentanopyran, found in a wide variety of plants and some animals. They are biosynthetically derived from 8-oxogeranial. Iridoids are typically found in plants as glycosides, mo ...

lactone Lactones are cyclic carboxylic esters. They are derived from the corresponding hydroxycarboxylic acids by esterification. They can be saturated or unsaturated. Lactones are formed by lactonization, the intramolecular esterification of the corresp ...

s such as allamandin, plumericin, and plumierides. Plumericin particularly was demonstrated to be a highly potent

NF-κB Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) is a family of transcription factor protein complexes that controls transcription (genetics), transcription of DNA, cytokine production and cell survival. NF-κB is found i ...

inhibitor with anti-inflammatory activity ''in vitro'' and ''in vivo'', while its structurally related derivatives plumierdin, plumeridoid C, and allamandicin did not have activity. The

lignan The lignans are a large group of low molecular weight polyphenols found in plants, particularly seeds, whole grains, and vegetables. The name derives from the Latin word for "wood". Lignans are precursors to phytoestrogens. They may play a rol ...

pinoresinol Pinoresinol is a tetrahydrofuran lignan found in '' Styrax sp.'', '' Forsythia suspensa, and in Forsythia koreana''. It is also found in the caterpillar of the cabbage butterfly, '' Pieris rapae'' where it serves as a defence against ants. In food ...

and

coumarin Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by an unsaturated lactone ring , forming a second six-me ...

s such as

scopoletin Scopoletin is a coumarin found in the root of plants in the genus '' Scopolia'' such as ''Scopolia carniolica'' and '' Scopolia japonica'', in chicory, in '' Artemisia scoparia'', in the roots and leaves of stinging nettle (''Urtica dioica''), in t ...

and

scoparone Scoparone is a natural organic compound with the molecular formula C11H10O4. It is found in the Chinese herb '' Artemisia scoparia'' and has been studied for its potential pharmacological properties including immunosuppression Immunosuppressio ...

have been isolated from ''A. schottii''.Schmidt, D. D. F. N., et al. (2006)
Evaluation of the anti-proliferative effect the extracts of ''Allamanda blanchetti'' and ''A. schottii'' on the growth of leukemic and endothelial cells.
''J Pharm Pharm Sci'' 9, 200–08. ''Allamanda'' species have been used in systems of

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

for various purposes. ''A. cathartica'' has been used to treat

liver tumor Liver tumors (also known as hepatic tumors) are abnormal growth of liver cells on or in the liver. Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. Liver tumors can be classified as ben ...

jaundice Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or, less frequently, greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving ...

splenomegaly Splenomegaly is an enlargement of the spleen. The spleen usually lies in the left upper quadrant (LUQ) of the human abdomen. Splenomegaly is one of the four cardinal signs of ''hypersplenism'' which include: some reduction in number of circulat ...

, and

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

. In analyses, some species have shown some activity against

carcinoma Carcinoma is a malignancy that develops from epithelial cells. Specifically, a carcinoma is a cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that arises from cells originating in the endodermal, mesoder ...

cells,

pathogenic fungi Pathogenic fungi are fungi that cause disease in humans or other organisms. Although fungi are eukaryotic, many pathogenic fungi are microorganisms. Approximately 300 fungi are known to be pathogenic to humans; their study is called "medical mycolo ...

, and

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

. In June 2022 a research team in the Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia, observed an

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...

chewing the stem and leaves of this plant, locally known as akar kuning, and applying the resulting paste and chewed leaves to a serious wound on its face. This is considered the first time a non-human species was seen deliberately preparing and applying medicine. After five days, the wound had closed, and fully healed three weeks later.

Cultivation

In the wild, allamandas grow along riverbanks and other open, sunny areas with adequate rainfall and perpetually moist substrate. The plants do not tolerate shade or salty or alkaline soils, and they are sensitive to frost. They grow rapidly, sometimes spreading 3 meters per year. They can be propagated from cuttings. Can be trained as a standard.

Ecology

Allamandas have become naturalized throughout the tropics, growing in roadside ditches, abandoned yards, and dumps. ''A. cathartica'' in particular is an

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. Cutting is ineffective as a means of control, because the plants respond to

coppicing Coppicing is the traditional method in woodland management of cutting down a tree to a tree stump, stump, which in many species encourages new Shoot (botany), shoots to grow from the stump or roots, thus ultimately regrowing the tree. A forest ...

Taxonomy

There are about 12 to 15 valid species in the genus. Allamanda blanchetii 1

Species and synonyms include: Allamanda angustifolia - Pohl-cropped

*'' Allamanda angustifolia'' Pohl *'' Allamanda blanchetii'' A.DC. – purple allamanda, violet allamanda, violet trumpetvine *'' Allamanda calcicola'' *''

Allamanda cathartica ''Allamanda cathartica'', commonly called golden trumpet, common trumpetvine, and yellow allamanda, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela, and w ...

'' L. – yellow allamanda, golden-trumpet, common trumpetvine brownbud allamanda *'' Allamanda doniana'' Müll.Arg. *'' Allamanda laevis'' Markgr. *'' Allamanda martii'' Müll.Arg. *'' Allamanda nobilis'' T.Moore *'' Allamanda oenotherifolia'' Pohl *'' Allamanda polyantha'' Müll.Arg. *'' Allamanda puberula'' A.DC. *''

Allamanda schottii ''Allamanda schottii'', commonly known as bush allamanda, is a shrub of genus ''Allamanda'' in the family Apocynaceae, which is native to Brazil. Reaching in height, it bears large yellow flowers for much of the year. Grown as an ornamental plan ...

'' Pohl – bush allamanda *'' Allamanda setulosa'' Miq. *'' Allamanda thevetifolia'' Müll.Arg. *'' Allamanda weberbaueri'' Markgr.

References

External links

''Allamanda cathartica''.
In: Francis, J. K. ''Wildland Shrubs of the United States and its Territories''. USDA Forest Service, IITF, Shrub Sciences Laboratory.
''Allamanda''.
Flora Brasiliensis. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1262196 Apocynaceae genera