strophanthus

(strəʊˈfænθəs) n1. (Plants) any small tree or shrub of the apocynaceous genus Strophanthus, of tropical Africa and Asia, having strap-shaped twisted petals. The seeds of certain species yield the drug strophanthin2. (Plants) the seeds of any of these plants[C19: New Latin, from Greek strophos twisted cord + anthos flower]

Thesaurus

Noun

strophanthus - any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Strophanthus having whorled leaves and showy flowers of various colors in dense and corymbose clusters; some have poisonous seedsgenus Strophanthus - genus of tropical Asiatic and African shrubs and woody vines and small treesStrophanthus kombe - plant that is a source of strophanthinbush, shrub - a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems

Strophanthus

a genus of woody lianas or, less frequently, shrubs of the family Apocynaceae. The leaves are opposite and entire, and the flowers are in dichasia. The calyx is five-toothed. The corolla is tubular and five-lobed; in many species the lobes are long, ribbonlike, and often twisted. The fruit consists of two follicles, which dehisce horizontally at maturity and together sometimes reach a length of 1 m. The seeds have a hairy pappus.

There are 50 to 60 species, distributed in tropical Africa, on Madagascar, and in South and Southeast Asia. The seeds contain poisonous glycosides—strophanthins—which are used in medicine. Most often used are the seeds of S. gratus, S. hispidus (western and tropical Africa), and S. kombe (southeastern Africa).

REFERENCE

Murav’eva, D. A., and A. F. Gammerman. Tropicheskie i subtropi-cheskie lekarstvennye rasteniia. Moscow, 1974.

V. N. GLADKOVA

Strophanthus

Stro·phan·thus

(strō-fan'thŭs), A genus of vines of east Africa (family Apocynaceae); the dried ripe seeds of Strophanthus kombe or Strophanthus hispidus contain the cardiac glycoside strophanthin and were used as an arrow poison; the seeds of Strophanthus gratus are the botanic source of ouabain. [G. strophos, a twisted cord, + anthos, flower]

Strophanthus

S21-906240 (strō-făn′thŭs) [Gr. strophos, twisted cord, + anthos, flower] A genus of plants yielding a poisonous, white, crystalline glucoside, previously used as a heart stimulant.

strophanthus

strophanthus

Strophanthus

Strophanthus

REFERENCE

Strophanthus

Stro·phan·thus

Strophanthus

strophanthus

Words related to strophanthus

noun any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Strophanthus having whorled leaves and showy flowers of various colors in dense and corymbose clusters

Related Words