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This genus is accepted, and its native range is Tropical & S. Africa, Indian Subcontinent to Peninsula Malaysia.
A specimen from Kew's Herbarium

[FZ]

Apocynaceae, A. J. M. Leeuwenberg & F. K. Kupicha et al. Flora Zambesiaca 7:2. 1985

Morphology General Habit
Deciduous shrubs or trees with white latex and unarmed branches.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves opposite or subopposite, those of a pair equal, shortly petiolate, without colleters in the axils; petiole glandular near the base.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules intrapetiolate and often obscure or absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences terminal and/or apparently axillary, cymose, many-flowered.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers sweet-scented, actinomorphic or with sepals only unequal.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals free or connate at the very base, subequal or sometimes unequal, with colleters inside at the base and alternating with the sepals.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla hypocrateriform; tube cylindrical, slender, wider near the base and apex; lobes contorted in bud and overlapping to the right.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens included, inserted at the base of the corolla-tube; anthers glabrous, basifixed, rounded at the base, mucronate at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary superior, carpels 2, connate at the very base only, ovoid, gradually narrowed into the style; disk none; style cylindrical; clavuncula ovoid; stigma bifid; placentas adaxial; ovules numerous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit composed of 2 scarcely diverging mericarps; mericarps follicular, slender, more or less constricted between the seeds.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds numerous, linear to very narrowly oblong, striate, grooved, glabrous, with a dense tuft of hairs at the apex; embryo large, surrounded by the very scanty endosperm.

[FTEA]

Apocynaceae, E.A. Omino. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2002

Morphology General Habit
Deciduous shrubs or trees up to 25 m high, with abundant white latex in all parts
Morphology Leaves
Leaves (sub-)opposite, petiole glandular near the base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences terminal, cymose, many-flowered; bracts without colleters
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers fragrant
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals persistent, valvate, with 0–10 colleters at the base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla salver-shaped; tube cylindrical, pubescent at the throat; lobes white, overlapping to the right
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens inserted at the base of the corolla tube; filaments short, pubescent at the base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Pistil glabrous or pubescent; disk absent; ovary ovoid, of two carpels, connate at the extreme base, placentas adaxial; ovules numerous, in 4–8 rows; pistil head ovoid; stigmoid apex bifid
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit of two thin-walled slender follicles, dehiscent; seeds glabrous, with a dense tuft of hairs at the apex, 3–6×as long as the seeds; embryo large, with a scanty endosperm; cotyledons large, complicate.

Native to:

Assam, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina, Cabinda, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Chad, China South-Central, Congo, East Himalaya, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Pakistan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

China Southeast, Hainan, Mauritius, Taiwan

Holarrhena R.Br. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Finlayson, G. [Cat. no. s.n.] K001132392

First published in Asclepiadeae: 51 (1810)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (2003). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Database in ACCESS: 1-216203. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • Pichon in Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, n. sér., B, 1: 157 (1951).
  • —F.T.A. 4, 1: 161

Flora Zambesiaca

  • De Kruif in Meded. Landb. Wag. 81–2: 4 (1981).
  • in Mem. Wern. Soc. 1: 62 (1811).

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • de Kruif in Meded. Landbouwhogeschool 81 (2): 4–36 (1981)
  • in Mem. Wern. Soc. 1: 62 (1811)

Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0