PH2711: Pharmacognosy-IA (Basic)

Apocynaceae Plant Family

(Assignment Number 1)

Submitted to: Sir Fahad

Submitted by: Alyan Haider
Sahar Waqar
Reg no: BPH193003
BPH193015
Section: 1
Submission Date: Sep 16th, 2020
Apocynaceae
plant family

Apocynaceae, the dogbane family of flowering plants, include about 400 genera and about
4,555 species of trees, shrubs, woody vines, and herbs. Members of the family are distributed
primarily in tropical and subtropical areas.
Nearly all members of this family are poisonous, and many species are used medicinally
because of the presence of cardiac glycosides and various alkaloids. A number are
cultivated as ornamentals for their attractive flowers and foliage.

List of Plants in Apocynaceae Family:

There are thousands of species lying under Apocynaceae family. Among these, ten species
are listed below:
Botanical name: Allamanda cathartica L.
Local name: Allokananda
Status of occurrence: Common
Botanical name: Allamanda cathartica L.
Local name: Allokananda
Status of occurrence: Common
 Plant 1:
Botanical name: Allamanda cathartica L.
Common name: Golden Trumpet
Taxonomic description: A woody much-branched shrub. Leaves are 8-11 cm long, glossy,
and acuminate, 4 in a whorl, occasionally 2 or 3. Flowers are large, yellow in color, about 12
cm across, and tube funnel-shaped.
Uses: Allamanda species have been used in traditional medicine to treat liver
tumors, jaundice, splenomegaly, and malaria. The root of this plant is used as a remedy for
snake-bites. Alcoholic and aqueous extract of root is hypertensive.

References:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
291336380_Taxonomy_and_Traditional_Medicinal_Uses_of_Apocynaceae_Dogbane_Family_of_Ra
jshahi_District_Bangladesh

e-ISSN:2320-0189
p-ISSN:2347-2308
2
RRJBS| Volume 4 | Issue 3 | October- December, 2015
interviewed to prove veracity of the curative features of plants. Medicinal uses and data about
the treatment of various alignments
based on the information gathered by using questionnaires are given subsequently.
The plant specimens were identied by consulting different Floras and literatures, viz, and
by comparing with the herbarium
on the family Apocynaceae at Rajshahi district, Bangladesh.
GOLDEN TRUMPET
Botanical name: Allamanda cathartica L.
Local name: Allokananda
Status of occurrence: Common
Flowering season: Almost throughout the year
Distribution: A native of tropical America largely grown as ornamental and sometime
naturalized in the moist zone including
Bangladesh India Myanmar, Nepal Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In Bangladesh it is found
throughout the country.
Taxonomic description: A woody much-branched stragling shrub. Leaves obovate-lanceolate,
entire, 8-11 cm long, glossy,
acuminate, 4 in a whorl, occationally 2 or 3. Flowers in axillary cymes, large, yellow,
about 12 cm across, tube funnel-shaped,
about 7.5 cm long; calyx about 1.5 cm long, sepals 5, ovate, acuminate.
Traditional Medicinal Uses: The bark acts as a hydragogue in ascites. The leaves are a
valuable cathartic in moderate
doses. The root is used as a remedy for snake-bites. Alcoholic and aqueous extract of root is
hypertensive. Leaf extract showed
antifungal and anticancer properties.
Voucher number: MA 10; 02.01.2014; Rajshahi University Campus (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Allamanda cathartica L.

DITA BARK TREE
Botanical name: Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br.
Local name: Chatim
Botanical name: Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br.
Local name: Chatim
 Plant 2:
Botanical name: Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br.
Common name: Dita Bark Tree or Blackboard Tree
Taxonomic description: A medium-sized, sometimes very tall, evergreen trees with copious
white latex; branches whorled.
Leaves 10-20 cm long, coriacious, oblong-lanceolate, whorled. Flowers small, greenish
white, in many owered capitate cymes.
Taxonomic description: A medium-sized, sometimes very tall, evergreen trees with copious
white latex. Leaves are 10-20 cm long. Flowers are small and greenish white.
Uses: It is used to treat chronic diarrhea and the advanced stages of dysentery; also useful in
catarrhal fever, skin diseases and malaria.

References:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
291336380_Taxonomy_and_Traditional_Medicinal_Uses_of_Apocynaceae_Dogbane_Family_of_Ra
jshahi_District_Bangladesh

 Plant 3:
Botanical name: Carissa carandas L.
Local name: Karamcha
Botanical name: Carissa carandas L.
Common name: Christ’s Thorn
Taxonomic description: large armed shrub, with long, stout, sharp, horizontal spines at the
base of the branchlets. Leaves
3.8-7.5 cm long, coriaceous, elliptic or obovate, obtuse. Flowers white, in terminal
corymbose cymes. Fruit 1.3-2.5 cm long,
ellipsoid, eshy, black when ripe.
Taxonomic description: Large shrub, with long, sharp spines at the base of the branchlets.
Flowers white in color. Fruit 1.3-2.5 cm long, fleshy and black when ripe.
Uses: Its fruit is used in the ancient Indian herbal system of medicine, Ayurvedic, to treat
acidity, indigestion, skin diseases, urinary disorders and diabetic ulcers.

References:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
291336380_Taxonomy_and_Traditional_Medicinal_Uses_of_Apocynaceae_Dogbane_Family_of_Ra
jshahi_District_Bangladesh

 Plant 4:
Botanical name: Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don.
Local name: Nayantara
Botanical name: Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don.
Common name: Red or Rose Periwinkle
Taxonomic description: A bushy plant about 0.3-0.6 cm high. Leaves 7-9 cm long and
flowers are white or deep rose-colored.
Uses: In traditional Chinese medicine, extracts from this plant have been used against
numerous diseases including diabetes, malaria, and Hodgkin's lymphoma.

References:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
291336380_Taxonomy_and_Traditional_Medicinal_Uses_of_Apocynaceae_Dogbane_Family_of_Ra
jshahi_District_Bangladesh

 Plant 5:
Botanical name: Holarrhena antidysenterica (L.) Wall ex Decne.
Common name: Bitter Oleander
Taxonomic description: A small, deciduous tree. Leaves 10-20 cm long, from broadly ovate to elliptic,
obtuse or obtusely acuminate.
Flowers white, in terminal corymbose cymes, 7.5-15 cm diam.; corolla tube 4-13 cm long, slightly
inated near the base; lobes about
equalling the tube, oblong, rounded at the apex. Follicles 20-38 cm long, cylindric, often dotted with white
spot
Taxonomic description: A small, deciduous tree. Leaves are 10-20 cm long. Flowers white
in color and 7.5-15 cm in diameter.
Uses: Its bark cures dysentery, diarrhea, fevers, piles, leprosy and skin diseases. Its leaves are
used in chronic bronchitis, urinary discharges, boils and ulcers.
 Figure 5. Holarrhena antidysenterica (l.)

References:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
291336380_Taxonomy_and_Traditional_Medicinal_Uses_of_Apocynaceae_Dogbane_Family_of_Ra
jshahi_District_Bangladesh
 Plant 6:
Botanical name: Adenium obesum (Forssk.) Roem. & Schult.
Common name: Red Sandalwood, Desert rose.
Taxonomic description: It is a drought-deciduous succulent shrub which grows 1–3 m tall.
Leaves are 5–15 cm long. Flowers tend to be red and pink, often with a whitish blush.
Uses: In Sahel, a decoction made of roots, alone or in combination with other plants,
is used to treat venereal diseases. Root or bark extract is used to treat skin diseases and to kill
lice.

Reference:
http://www.efloraofgandhinagar.in/plant-families/apocynaceae (NAMES)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenium_obesum (DESCRIPTION)

 Plant 7:
Botanical name: Allamanda blanchetii A. DC.
Common name: Purple Allamanda
Taxonomic description: It is an evergreen shrub. The leaves are arranged in whorls. The
flower has five lobed sepals and a bell- or funnel-shaped corolla, yellow in most species.
Uses: Its flower has higher amounts of flavonoids, polyphenols, polysaccharide and the
floral extracts display comparatively higher anti-oxidant property.

Reference:
http://www.efloraofgandhinagar.in/plant-families/apocynaceae
https://innovareacademics.in/journals/index.php/ijcpr/article/view/28458/15248#:~:text=A
%20recent%20report%20suggests%20that,and%20human%20carcinomamia%20%5B3%5D
 Plant 8:
Botanical name: Nerium oleander L.

Common name: The Oleander, Kanher, Lal Karen

Taxonomic description: It is a shrub or small tree, the only species in genus Nerium. It
grows to 2–6 m tall. The fruit splits open at maturity to release numerous downy seeds.
Uses: It is used for heart conditions, asthma, epilepsy, cancer, painful menstrual periods,
leprosy, malaria, ringworm, indigestion, and venereal disease. 

Reference:
http://www.efloraofgandhinagar.in/plant-families/apocynaceae
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium#Description

 Plant 9:
Botanical name: Rauvolfia tetraphylla L.
Common name: Wild Snake Root, Devil Pepper, American Serpent Wood
Taxonomic description: A small, much-branched woody shrub, 0.6-1.2m high. Fruits hold
an importance in the Indian traditional system of medicine and are deep red when ripe.
Uses: It shows a range of pharmacological activities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-
inflammatory, cardioprotective, sedative, antihypertensive, insecticidal, and antiparasitic.

Reference:
http://www.efloraofgandhinagar.in/plant-families/apocynaceae
 Plant 10:
Botanical name: Vallaris solanacea (Roth) Kuntze.

Common name: Bread Flower

Taxonomic description: The plant grows to 8.3 m and has simple, broad leaves.
Uses: Its flowers are used as a flavoring agent for culinary purpose. The herb is an analgesic
and helps to regulate the digestive system. It is a natural source of anti-oxidants and is
beneficial in purifying and regulating the blood circulation.

Reference:
http://www.efloraofgandhinagar.in/plant-families/apocynaceae
https://eol.org/pages/2892897#: