Adenium multiflorum
Encyclopedia
Adenium multiflorum is small, succulent tree
native to central and eastern Southern Africa
. Like other members of the succulent Apocynaceae
family, A. multiflorum has a milky latex with toxic alkaloid
s. This latex is used as an arrow poison and as a fish stunning poison
.
It is sometimes treated as a variety or subspecies of Adenium obesum.
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
native to central and eastern Southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
. Like other members of the succulent Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae
The Apocynaceae or dogbane family is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas.Many species are tall trees found in tropical rainforests, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some grow in tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also perennial herbs...
family, A. multiflorum has a milky latex with toxic alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
s. This latex is used as an arrow poison and as a fish stunning poison
Fish toxins
Fish toxins or fish stupifying plants have historically been used by many hunter gatherer cultures to stun fish, so that the fish become easy to collect by hand. Some of these toxins paralyse fish, others work by reducing oxygen content in water...
.
It is sometimes treated as a variety or subspecies of Adenium obesum.