Kingdom Plantae Family Apocynaceae Tribe Tabernaemontaneae Rank Species | Order Gentianales Subfamily Rauvolfioideae Genus Voacanga | |
Similar Voacanga, Voacanga africana, Funtumia africana, Diplorhynchus, Margaritaria discoidea | ||
Voacanga thouarsii grows as a small tree up to 20 metres (66 ft) high, with a trunk diameter of up to 80 centimetres (31 in). Its fragrant flowers feature a pale green, creamy or white corolla. Fruit is dark green spotted with paired follicles, each up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long. Vernacular names include "wild frangipani". Habitat is forest and savanna from sea-level to 600 metres (2,000 ft) altitude. Its numerous local medicinal uses include as a treatment for wounds, sores, gonorrhoea, eczema, heart problems, hypertension, rheumatism, stomach-ache and snakebite. V. thouarsii is found in Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Madagascar.