These trees can grow very large, such as Alstonia pneumatophora, recorded with a height of 60 m and a diameter of more than 2 m. Alstonia longifolia is the only species growing in Central America (mainly shrubs, but also trees 20 m high).
The leathery, sessile, simple leaves are elliptical, ovate, linear or lanceolate and wedge-shaped at the base. The leaf blade is dorsiventral, medium-sized to large and disposed oppositely or in a whorl and with entire margin. The leaf venation is pinnate, with numerous veins ending in a marginal vein. Phyllotaxy is whorled i.e. two or more leaves arises at a node and form a whorl .
The inflorescence is terminal or axillary, consisting of thyrsiform cymes or compound umbels. The small, more or less fragrant flowers are white, yellow, pink or green and funnel-shaped, growing on a pedicel and subtended by bracts. They consist of 5 petals and 5 sepals, arranged in four whorls. The fertile flowers are hermaphrodite. The gamosepalous green sepals consist of ovate lobes, and are distributed in one whorl. The annular disk is hypogynous. The five gamesepalous petals have oblong or ovate lobes and are disposed in one whorl. The corolla lobes overlapping to the left (such as A. rostrata) or to the right (such as A. macrophylla) in the bud. The ovary has 2 separate follicles with glabrous or ciliate, oblong seeds that develop into deep blue podlike, schizocarp fruit, between 7–40 cm long. The plants contain a milky latex, rich in poisonous alkaloids. Fijians use the latex of A. costata (saurua, sorua) as a form of chewing gum.[2] The Alstonia macrophylla is commonly known in Sri Lanka as 'Havari nuga' or the 'wig banyan' because of its distinct flower that looks like a woman's long wig.
Many Alstonia species are harvested for timber, called pule or pulai in Indonesia and Malaysia. Trees from the section Alstonia produce lightweight timber, while those from the sections Monuraspermum and Dissuraspermum produce heavy timber.
Alstonia trees are widespread and mostly not endangered. However a few species are very rare, such as A. annamensis, A. beatricis, A. breviloba, A. stenophylla and A. guangxiensis.
Speciesedit
Alstonia has five distinct sections, each a monophyletic group; Alstonia, Blaberopus, Tonduzia, Monuraspermum, Dissuraspermum.
Alstonia scholaris (L.) R.Br. – pali-mari, dita bark, bitter bark, milkwood, milky bean, milky pine, white cheesewood, scholar tree, blackboard tree - E + S + SE Asia, Papuasia, N Australia
^ ab"World Checklist of Selected Plant Families". Retrieved May 21, 2014.
^Keppel, Gunnar; Ghazanfar, Shahina A. (2011). Trees of Fiji: A Guide to 100 Rainforest Trees (third, revised ed.). Secretariat of the Pacific Community & Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit. pp. 42–3.
Referencesedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alstonia.
Kade Sidiyasa (1998). "Taxonomy, phylogeny, and wood anatomy of Alstonia (Apocynaceae)". Blumea. Supplement. 11: 1–230. ISBN90-71236-35-8
Kade Sidiyasa, A., 3, 1992. A monograph of Alstonia (Apocynaceae).
Forster, P.I. (1992). "A taxonomic revision of Alstonia (Apocynaceae) in Australia". Australian Systematic Botany. 5 (6): 745. doi:10.1071/SB9920745. ISSN 1030-1887.
November 03, 2023
alstonia, widespread, genus, evergreen, trees, shrubs, family, apocynaceae, named, robert, brown, 1811, after, charles, alston, 1685, 1760, professor, botany, edinburgh, from, 1716, 1760, scholaris, habit, above, details, below, scientific, classificationkingd. Alstonia is a widespread genus of evergreen trees and shrubs of the family Apocynaceae It was named by Robert Brown in 1811 after Charles Alston 1685 1760 professor of botany at Edinburgh from 1716 to 1760 AlstoniaAlstonia scholaris habit above details below Scientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade EudicotsClade AsteridsOrder GentianalesFamily ApocynaceaeSubfamily RauvolfioideaeTribe AlstonieaeGenus AlstoniaR Br Type speciesAlstonia scholaris L R Br Synonyms 1 Amblyocalyx Benth in G Bentham amp J D Hooker Blaberopus A DC in A P de Candolle Pala Juss Paladelpha Pichon Tonduzia Pittier Winchia A DC in A P de CandolleThe type species Alstonia scholaris L R Br was originally named Echites scholaris by Linnaeus in 1767 Contents 1 Description 2 Species 3 Gallery 4 Notes 5 ReferencesDescription editAlstonia consists of about 40 60 species according to different authors native to tropical and subtropical Africa Central America Southeast Asia Polynesia and Australia with most species in the Malesian region These trees can grow very large such as Alstonia pneumatophora recorded with a height of 60 m and a diameter of more than 2 m Alstonia longifolia is the only species growing in Central America mainly shrubs but also trees 20 m high The leathery sessile simple leaves are elliptical ovate linear or lanceolate and wedge shaped at the base The leaf blade is dorsiventral medium sized to large and disposed oppositely or in a whorl and with entire margin The leaf venation is pinnate with numerous veins ending in a marginal vein Phyllotaxy is whorled i e two or more leaves arises at a node and form a whorl The inflorescence is terminal or axillary consisting of thyrsiform cymes or compound umbels The small more or less fragrant flowers are white yellow pink or green and funnel shaped growing on a pedicel and subtended by bracts They consist of 5 petals and 5 sepals arranged in four whorls The fertile flowers are hermaphrodite The gamosepalous green sepals consist of ovate lobes and are distributed in one whorl The annular disk is hypogynous The five gamesepalous petals have oblong or ovate lobes and are disposed in one whorl The corolla lobes overlapping to the left such as A rostrata or to the right such as A macrophylla in the bud The ovary has 2 separate follicles with glabrous or ciliate oblong seeds that develop into deep blue podlike schizocarp fruit between 7 40 cm long The plants contain a milky latex rich in poisonous alkaloids Fijians use the latex of A costata saurua sorua as a form of chewing gum 2 The Alstonia macrophylla is commonly known in Sri Lanka as Havari nuga or the wig banyan because of its distinct flower that looks like a woman s long wig Alstonia trees are used in traditional medicine The bark of Alstonia constricta and Alstonia scholaris is the source of a remedy against malaria toothache rheumatism and snake bites citation needed The latex is used in treating coughs throat sores and fever Many Alstonia species are harvested for timber called pule or pulai in Indonesia and Malaysia Trees from the section Alstonia produce lightweight timber while those from the sections Monuraspermum and Dissuraspermum produce heavy timber Alstonia trees are widespread and mostly not endangered However a few species are very rare such as A annamensis A beatricis A breviloba A stenophylla and A guangxiensis Species editAlstonia has five distinct sections each a monophyletic group Alstonia Blaberopus Tonduzia Monuraspermum Dissuraspermum Accepted species 1 Alstonia actinophylla A Cunn K Schum milkwood New Guinea N Australia Alstonia angustifolia A DC Borneo W Malaysia Sumatra Alstonia angustiloba Miq Borneo W Malaysia Sumatra Thailand Java Alstonia annamensis Monach K Sidiyasa Cambodia Vietnam Alstonia balansae Guillaumin New Caledonia Alstonia beatricis K Sidiyasa Waigeo I in E Indonesia Alstonia boonei De Wild W C E Africa Alstonia boulindaensis Boiteau New Caledonia Alstonia breviloba K Sidiyasa Papua New Guinea Alstonia congensis Engl W C Africa Alstonia constricta F Muell bitterbark quinine tree Australian fever bark E Australia Alstonia coriacea Pancher amp S Moore New Caledonia Alstonia costata R Br S Pacific Alstonia curtisii King amp Gamble Thailand Alstonia deplanchei Van Heurck amp Mull Arg New Caledonia Alstonia guangxiensis D Fang amp X X Chen Guangxi in China Alstonia iwahigensis Elmer Borneo Palawan Alstonia lanceolata Van Heurck amp Mull Arg New Caledonia Alstonia lanceolifera S Moore New Caledonia Alstonia legouixiae Van Heurck amp Mull Arg New Caledonia Alstonia lenormandii Van Heurck amp Mull Arg New Caledonia Alstonia longifolia A DC Pichon Mexico Central America Alstonia macrophylla Wall ex G Don batino devil tree S China Sri Lanka SE Asia New Guinea Alstonia mairei H Leveille S China N Vietnam Alstonia muelleriana Domin jackapple leatherjacket milky yellowwood New Guinea Queensland Alstonia neriifolia D Don Nepal Sikkim Bhutan Alstonia odontophora Boiteau New Caledonia Alstonia parkinsonii M Gangop amp Chakrab Lakra amp Chakrab Andaman Is Alstonia parvifolia Merr Philippines Alstonia penangiana K Sidiyasa Penang Hill in Malaysia Alstonia pneumatophora Backer ex L G Den Berger W Malaysia Borneo Sulawesi Sumatra Alstonia quaternata Van Heurck amp Mull Arg New Caledonia Alstonia rostrata C E C Fischer Yunnan Indochina W Malaysia Sumatra Alstonia rubiginosa K Sidiyasa Papua New Guinea Alstonia rupestris Kerr Thailand Alstonia scholaris L R Br pali mari dita bark bitter bark milkwood milky bean milky pine white cheesewood scholar tree blackboard tree E S SE Asia Papuasia N Australia Alstonia sebusii Van Heurck amp Mull Arg Monach Yunnan Bhutan Assam N Myanmar Alstonia spatulata Blume hard milkwood Siamese balsa SE Asia New Guinea Alstonia spectabilis R Br poele bark jackapple leatherjacket milky yellowwood SE Asia Papuasia N Australia Alstonia sphaerocapitata Boiteau New Caledonia Alstonia venenata R Br S India Alstonia vieillardii Van Heurck amp Mull Arg New Caledonia Alstonia vietnamensis D J Middleton Vietnam Alstonia yunnanensis Diels Yunnan Guizhou GuangxiGallery edit nbsp Alstonia scholaris nbsp Alstonia spectabilis nbsp Alstonia macrophyllaNotes edit a b World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Retrieved May 21 2014 Keppel Gunnar Ghazanfar Shahina A 2011 Trees of Fiji A Guide to 100 Rainforest Trees third revised ed Secretariat of the Pacific Community amp Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit pp 42 3 References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alstonia Kade Sidiyasa 1998 Taxonomy phylogeny and wood anatomy of Alstonia Apocynaceae Blumea Supplement 11 1 230 ISBN 90 71236 35 8 Kade Sidiyasa A 3 1992 A monograph of Alstonia Apocynaceae Forster P I 1992 A taxonomic revision of Alstonia Apocynaceae in Australia Australian Systematic Botany 5 6 745 doi 10 1071 SB9920745 ISSN 1030 1887 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alstonia amp oldid 1180317077, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
