Flore d’Afrique Centrale, nouvelle série, Spermatophyta: Apocynaceae, sous-famille I. Apocynoideae et II. Rauvolfioideae.

Abstract

This volume treats the species belonging to two subfamilies, the Apocynoideae and Rauvolfioideae, of the large Apocynaceae family occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. The family is often instantly recognisable through its combination of (usually) opposite leaves and the presence of latex, and these days also comprises the former Asclepiadaceae. The two subfamilies treated here represent the Apocynaceae as formerly delimited. In the Flora area they are represented by 37 genera with 138 species. Most species contain toxic glycosides, and therefore many medicinal uses are known. Each species treatment comes with a full description, synonyms, data on distribution, conservation, habitat, vernacular names and uses, as well as references to additional literature and the citation of representative specimens. User-friendly keys to all genera and species are provided, along with 130 detailed line drawings to assist species recognition