Acokanthera

Acokanthera is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It comprises 5 species and is generally restricted to Africa, although A. schimperi also occurs in Yemen.^[1] Its sap contains the deadly toxin ouabain, a glycoside that causes heart failure. The sap is among the most commonly used in arrow poisons,^[2][3] including those used for poaching elephants.^[4]

Acokanthera schimperi
from Köhler's Medizinal Pflanzen 1897

Acokanthera
Poison arrow plant, Acokanthera oblongifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Apocynaceae
Subfamily:	Rauvolfioideae
Tribe:	Carisseae
Genus:	Acokanthera
Synonyms[1]
Toxicophlaea Harv.

The poison it contains works by stopping the heart, like most other arrow poisons.^[5]

Species^[1]

• Acokanthera laevigata Kupicha - Tanzania, Malawi
• Acokanthera oblongifolia (Hochst.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex B.D.Jacks. - Mozambique, South Africa
• Acokanthera oppositifolia (Lam.) Codd - widespread from Cape Province north to Zaire and Tanzania
• Acokanthera rotundata (Codd) Kupicha - Zimbabwe, Eswatini, eastern South Africa
• Acokanthera schimperi (A.DC.) Schweinf. - Yemen, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Socotra, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zaire