page_title: Apocynaceae
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Apocynaceae / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Alstonia scholaris, commonly called Blackboard tree, Indian devil tree, Ditabark, Milkwood pine, White cheesewood and Pulai, is an evergreen, tropical tree in (Apocynaceae family, native to the Indian subcontinent and Indomalaya, Malesia and Australasia. It is a glabrous tree and grows up to 40 m tall, mature bark is grayish and young branches are copiously marked with lenticels. The upperside of the leaves are glossy, while the underside is greyish. Leaves occur in whorls of 3-10; but here it is 11.&#160;:) Flowers bloom in the month October. The flowers are very fragrant similar to the flower of Cestrum nocturnum. Seeds are oblong, with ciliated margins, and ends with tufts of hairs 1.5–2 cm. The bark is almost odourless and very bitter, with abundant bitter and milky sap. Taken at Kadavoor, Kerala, India.
context_page_description: Apocynaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Members of the family are native to the European, Asian, African, Australian, and American tropics or subtropics, with some temperate members. The former family Asclepiadaceae is considered a subfamily of Apocynaceae and contains 348 genera. A list of Apocynaceae genera may be found here.
  Many species are tall trees found in tropical forests, but some grow in tropical dry environments. Also perennial herbs from temperate zones occur. Many of these plants have milky latex, and many species are poisonous if ingested. Some genera of Apocynaceae, such as Adenium, have milky latex apart from their sap, and others, such as Pachypodium, have clear sap and no latex.
caption: Alstonia scholaris, arrangement of leaves
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