Strophanthus speciosus (Ward & Harv.) Reber

Shrub or scandent climber to 10 m high, evergreen. Leaves 3-whorled; blade elliptic to oblanceolate, up to 10 cm long and 2.5 cm wide; upper surface glossy green, glabrous; lower surface pale green, glabrous; tip acute to rounded; base cuneate. Flowers 5.1-6.1 cm wide at mouth; corolla yellow to apricot, with red patch towards lobe base; lobes linear lanceolate,19-50 mm long. Fruit 10-18 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide. [S. capensis A. DC.]

S Africa, Zimbabwe

 

S. amboensis (Schinz) Engl. & Pax from Namibia and Zaire is a shrub or scandent climber to 20 m high, deciduous. Leaves opposite; blade broadly ovate to ovate, up to 12.5 cm long and 6.5 cm wide; upper surface glossy green, glabrous; lower surface pale green, glabrous; tip acute to long-pointed; base cuneate to rounded. Flowers 0.6-1.3 cm wide at mouth; corolla red-violet, lobes linear-lanceolate, 25-75 mm long. Fruit 12-27 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm wide.

S. divaricatus (Lour.) Hook. & Arn. from China and Vietnam is a shrub or scandent climber to 4.5 m high, evergreen. Leaves opposite (rarely 3-whorled); blade elliptic to obovate, up to 9 cm long and 4 cm wide; upper surface dark green, glabrous; lower surface pale green, glabrous; tip acute to long-pointed; base cuneate. Flowers 0.5-1.2 cm wide at mouth; corolla white-yellow, with red spots, lobes linear-lanceolate, 35-100 mm long. Fruit 9-15 cm long, 1.7-3 cm wide.

S. gratus (Wall. & Hook.) Baill. from Africa is an evergreen scandent climber to 20 m high. Leaves opposite; blade elliptic, ovate or obovate, up to 18 cm long and 9 cm wide; upper surface dark glossy green, glabrous; lower surface pale green, glabrous; tip long-pointed; base cuneate to rounded. Flowers 1.3-2.2 cm wide at mouth; corolla white to yellow, becoming red-purple near mouth, lobes orbicular, 14-35 mm long. Fruit 23-41 cm long, 3-4.3 cm wide. [Roupellia grata Wall. & Hook.]

Source: Forster, P. (2002). Apocynaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.

Hero image
kingdom Plantae
phylum   Tracheophyta
class    Magnoliopsida
superorder     Asteranae
order      Gentianales
family       Apocynaceae
genus        Strophanthus D C.