Acokanthera
Acokanthera is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It comprises 5 species and is generally restricted to Africa, although A. schimperi also occurs in Yemen. Its sap contains the deadly toxin ouabain, a glycoside that causes heart failure. The sap is among the most commonly used in arrow poisons, including those used for poaching elephants.
The poison it contains works by stopping the heart, like most other arrow poisons.
;SpeciesAcokanthera laevigata Kupicha - Tanzania, MalawiAcokanthera oblongifolia Benth. & Hook.f. ex B.D.Jacks. - Mozambique, South AfricaAcokanthera oppositifolia Codd - widespread from Cape Province north to Zaire and TanzaniaAcokanthera rotundata Kupicha - Zimbabwe, Eswatini, eastern South AfricaAcokanthera schimperi Schweinf. - Yemen, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Socotra, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zaire