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.
Image:Acokanthera schimperi - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-150.jpg|thumb|left|225px|Acokanthera schimperi
from Köhler's Medizinal Pflanzen 1897The poison it contains works by stopping the heart, like most other arrow poisons.
;Species
  • Acokanthera laevigata Kupicha - Tanzania, Malawi
  • Acokanthera oblongifolia Benth. & Hook.f. ex B.D.Jacks. - Mozambique, South Africa
  • Acokanthera oppositifolia Codd - widespread from Cape Province north to Zaire and Tanzania
  • Acokanthera rotundata Kupicha - Zimbabwe, Eswatini, eastern South Africa
  • Acokanthera schimperi Schweinf. - Yemen, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Socotra, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zaire