Alstonia scholaris

• Overview
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
• More Info
• Notes

Overview

Tree from India to Indonesia and Australia with leathery, whorled leaves and small, greenish-white flowers. The bark yields an antimalarial drug.

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Apocynaceae

Trees , shrubs , or vines , rarely subshrubs or herbs, with latex or rarely watery juice. Leaves simple , opposite, rarely whorled or alternate, pinnately veined; stipules absent or rarely present. Inflorescences cymose , terminal or axillary , with bracteoles. Flowers bisexual , 5- [or 4]-merous, actinomorphic . Calyx 5- or rarely 4-partite, quincuncial, basal glands usually present. Corolla 5- or rarely 4-lobed, salverform , funnelform , urceolate , or rarely rotate, lobes overlapping to right or left, rarely valvate . Stamens 5 or rarely 4; filaments short; anthers mostly sagittate , free or connivent into a cone adherent to pistil head , dehiscing longitudinally, base rounded , cordate, sagittate, or prolonged into an empty spur; pollen granular ; disc ringlike or cup-shaped, 2-5-lobed, or absent. Ovaries superior, rarely half-inferior, connate or distinct , 1- or 2-locular; ovules (1 or) 2-numerous per locule. Style 1; pistil head capitate, conical , or lampshade-shaped, base stigmatic, apex 2-cleft and not stigmatic . Fruit a berry, drupe, capsule, or follicle. Seeds with or without coma; endosperm thick and often horny , scanty, sometimes absent; embryo straight or nearly so, cotyledons often large, radicle terete .

About 155 genera and 2000 species distributed primarily in the tropics and subtropics, poorly represented in the temperate regions . Of the 44 genera and 145 species present in China, one genus and 38 species are endemic, and nearly 95% of the taxa grow in the southern and southwestern portions of the country.

Fruit type is highly diversified in the family , and it is diagnostic of many genera. Genera 1-4 produce 1, 2-celled berries from a flower; genus 5 produces 2, 1-celled berries from a flower; 6 and 7 produce mostly fleshy follicles containing deeply indented seeds with ruminate endosperm; 8 has follicles and winged seeds; 9 produces follicles and seeds with 2 comas; 10-12 have follicles with globose seeds; 13-18 have drupes mostly with fleshy mesocarp; 19 has samaroid fruit; 20 has spiny capsules with seeds winged all around; and 21-44 have free or fused follicles and comose seeds. Double flowers are known only from cultivated forms of Nerium oleander, Tabernaemontana divaricata, and Wrightia religiosa.

Plants of the Apocynaceae are often poisonous and are rich in alkaloids or glycosides, especially in the seeds and latex. Some species are valuable sources of medicine, insecticides , fibers, and rubber.Bingtao Li, Antony J. M. Leeuwenberg & David J. Middleton "Apocynaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 143. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Genus Alstonia

Trees or shrubs , latex present. Branches whorled , mostly 4 or 5 together. Leaves whorled, rarely opposite; lateral veins numerous , ending in a marginal vein . Cymes terminal , usually 1-5 in thyrses or compound umbels, terminal. Flowers white, yellow, or pink. Calyx without glands inside, lobes connate at base . Corolla salverform , tube cylindric , dilated in distal half, pubescent inside, lobes overlapping to right or left. Stamens included , inserted near or above middle of corolla tube; anthers ovate , free from pistil head , not caudate ; disc absent or of scales . Ovaries 2, distinct or connate, ovules numerous. Follicles 2, free or connate. Seeds oblong or linear , long bearded at both ends; endosperm thin; cotyledons up to twice as long as radicle.

About 60 species: tropical Asia, Africa, C America, N Australia, Pacific Islands; eight species in China."Alstonia". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 154. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Physical Description

Biology

Growth

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.1 • Maximum pH: 8.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br.
2. Alstonia scholaris R. Br.
3. Echites scholaris L.
4. Echites scholaris Linnaeus
5. Pala scholaris (L.) Roberty

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 05-Apr-2001

Place of publication : Asclepiadeae 64. 1810 (Mem. Wern. Nat. Hist. Soc. 1:75. 1811)

Name verified on 27-Apr-1995 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 26-May-1998

Similar Species

Members of the genus Alstonia

There are approximately 132 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

A. actinophylla · A. acuminata · A. angustifolia · A. angustiloba (Pulai Tree) · A. annamensis · A. balansae · A. batino · A. beatricis · A. beccarii · A. boonei · A. boulindaensis · A. brassii · A. breviloba · A. calophylla · A. ciliata · A. cochinchinensis · A. comptonii · A. congensis · A. constricta · A. constricta var. constricta · A. constricta var. mollis · A. constricta var. montmariensis · A. coriacea · A. costata · A. costata var. fragrans · A. costulata · A. cuneata · A. curtisii · A. deplanchei · A. deplanchei var. ndokoaensis · A. duerckheimiana · A. edulis · A. elliptica · A. esquirolii · A. eximia · A. ficifolia · A. filipes · A. fragrans · A. gilletii · A. glabriflora · A. glaucescens · A. godeffroyi · A. grandifolia · A. guangxiensis · A. henryi · A. iwahigensis · A. kurzii · A. lanceolata · A. lanceolifera · A. lanceolifera var. oleoidea · A. latifolia · A. legouixiae · A. legouixiae var. obtusalabastra · A. legouxiae var. linearis · A. lenormandii · A. lenormandii var. comptonii · A. lenormandii var. minutifolia · A. linearifolia · A. linearis · A. longifolia · A. longissima · A. lucida · A. macrantha · A. macrophylla (Devil Tree) · A. mairei · A. marquisensis · A. micrahtha · A. mollis · A. montana · A. muelleriana · A. muelleriana var. muelleriana · A. muelleriana var. parvifolia · A. neriifolia · A. oblongifolia · A. odontophora · A. oleandraefolia · A. ophioxyloides · A. pachycarpa · A. pacifica · A. pangkorensis · A. parvifolia · A. paucinervia · A. paupera · A. pedicellata · A. penangiana · A. pittieri · A. pittierii · A. plumosa · A. plumosa f. glabra · A. plumosa var. communis · A. pneumatophora · A. polyphylla · A. quaternata · A. reineckeana · A. retusa · A. roeperi · A. rostrata · A. rubiginosa · A. rupestris · A. saligna

Bibliography

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Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 15, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 8 providers.
• MBLWHOI Library: Universal Biological Index and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 20, 2008.
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (May 05, 2008)
• World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 19, 2008.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 15, 2007:

• Australian National Herbarium
• , Australian National Herbarium
• Herbarium of the University of Aarhus, The AAU Herbarium Database
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• National Herbarium of New South Wales, NSW herbarium collection
• National Herbarium of New South Wales, Plants of Papua New Guinea

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2664137
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-184803
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13729507
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:105973-3
• GRIN Nomen Number: 2688
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 76587-1
• IUCN ID: 32295
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 407769

Footnotes

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