Camptotheca acuminata

Camptotheca acuminata is a species of tree in the Camptotheca genus that is native to north Vietnam and southern China.^[1] It is also cultivated in the southern United States.^[2]

Camptotheca acuminata
Trunk of the tree
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Cornales
Family:	Nyssaceae
Genus:	Camptotheca
Species:	C. acuminata
Binomial name
Camptotheca acuminata Decne. Bull. Soc. Bot. France 20: 157 (1873)

A eudicot,^[3] it is a flowering deciduous tree with light gray bark.^[4] It can grow to a height of 20 metres (66 ft). Its large, papery leaves are somewhat oval in shape, usually 12 to 28 cm (5 to 10 in) long and 6 to 12 cm (2 to 5 in) wide.^[4] The flowers, which bloom from May through July, produce a gray-brown fruit with one seed in September.^[4]

Uses

Camptotheca acuminata is a source of camptothecin chemicals, which have been tested for potential use as treatments for cancer and HIV.^[2] The modern chemotherapy drugs topotecan and irinotecan are derived from it, though now the molecules are produced in a lab environment rather than extracted from the leaves and bark of the tree.^[5] Because of this, it is sometimes called the "cancer tree".^[5]

In traditional Chinese medicine, the tree is called xi shu ("tree of joy" or "happy tree") and was considered a relatively unimportant^[5] medicinal plant.^[2][5]

The tree is also grown for shade and ornamental value.^[5]

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