Thevetia peruviana (Pers.) K. Schum
Family
Apocynaceae
Synonyms
Cerbera peruviana Pers., Thevetia nereifolia Juss. ex. Steud., Cascabela thevetia (L.) Lippold.
Vernacular Names
|
Malaysia |
Tevetia peru. |
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English |
Yellow oleander, lucky nut tree. |
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Indonesia |
Ginje, ki hujan (Sundanese). |
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Philippines |
Campanero, campanilla (Tagalog). |
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Thailand |
Sae nawa (Northern), ban buri (Bangkok), ram phoei (Central). |
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Vietnam |
Th[oo]ng thi[ee]n, hu[yf]nh li[ee]n. |
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French |
Oléandre jaune. |
Geographical Distributions
Thevetia peruviana originates from tropical America and is widely cultivated in Southeast Asia as an ornament.
Description
Thevetia peruviana is a shrub or tree up to 8 m tall. Its branchlets are smooth and exude white latex.
The leaves are arranged spirally, simple, linear-lance-shaped, measuring 6-15 cm x 0.4-0.7 cm, long-acuminate, with obscure venation and leathery texture. The petiole is very short.
The inflorescence is subterminal, cymose and few-flowered. The flowers are 5-merous and only faintly fragrant. The sepals are acute and spreading. The petal lobes are overlapping to the left in bud, with infundibuliform petal, with tube widening around the middle, and measure about 3 cm long with densely hairy corona lobes near the throat alternating with the stamens. The yellow lobes are about 3 cm long. The stamens are completely included while the anthers are attached to each other apically across the top of pistil head but not adnate to it. They are yellow to orange or peachy pink. The ovary consists of 2 carpels with several ovules per carpel.
The fruit is a drupe with mericarps that are united into an obdeltoid shape, laterally compressed, measures about 3-4 cm in diametre, yellowish-green turning red, with ripening black, fleshy exocarp and stony mesocarp while the endocarps are free from each other.
The seed is flattened with a small wing where there is one seed per mericarp. Seedling is with epigeal germination.
Ecology / Cultivation
In its native habitat, Thevetia peruviana is found in evergreen lowlands or riparian forests from 50-200 m altitude.
Line Drawing / Photograph
Read More
1) Poisonous
References
1. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2.
