Acokanthera oppositifolia, the poison arrow tree, is a shrub used as the source of an arrow poison and to coat caltrops made from the sharp fruits of the puncture vine (Tribulus terrestris). All plants of the genus Acokanthera contain toxic cardiac glycosides strong enough to cause death. Acokanthera oppositifolia is widespread in southern and central Africa from Cape Province north to The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it poisonous?
Considered toxic. Public sources list it as such; we have not verified this individually. The note covers its whole genus. All five species in this genus exude a sap containing extremely toxic cardiac glycosides including ouabain, which inhibits the sodium–potassium pump N+/K+-ATPase, a membrane transport protein important for regulating… Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
- Acokanthera oblongifolia — considered toxic
- Acokanthera rotundata — considered toxic
- Pterocelastrus echinatus
- Pleurostylia opposita
- Eugenia uruguayensis
- Azara uruguayensis
Classification
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Tracheophyta
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Order
- Gentianales
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Genus
- Acokanthera
- Species
- Acokanthera oppositifolia
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