Importance of Cascabella Thevetia and Allamanda Cathartica, their plant parts and uses.

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Scientific Name
Cascabela thevetia (L.) Lippold
Family
Apocynaceae
Common names
Captain Cook tree, Cook tree, dicky
plant, still tree, yellow oleander etc.
Origin
Native to tropical America
Cultivation
This species is still widely cultivated
in Australia, and is most commonly
in sub-tropical and tropical regions.
Habitat
A weed of waterways, roadsides,
waste areas, disturbed sites, old
gardens, pastures, open woodlands
etc.

3. Distinguishing Features
• an upright and spreading shrub or small tree
with leaves that are spirally arranged along the stems.
• its long and narrow leaves have glossy green upper
surfaces and paler undersides.
• its stems and leaves contain a milky sap.
• its bright yellow, or occasionally pale orange, tubular
flowers (5-7 cm long) have five petals that are twisted
when in bud.
• its fruit is large and slightly fleshy with a hard centre
(25-55 mm across) and turns black as it matures.
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4. Stems and Leaves
• The stems and leaves contain a poisonous
milky sap (i.e. latex).
Flowers and Fruit
• The bright yellow, or occasionally pale orange,
flowers are arranged in several-flowered
clusters near the tips of the branches.
• The relatively large fruit is slightly fleshy with a
hard centre (i.e. it is a drupe).
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5. Stems and leaves Flowers and fruits
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6. Reproduction and Dispersal
• This plant reproduces only by seeds. These
are commonly spread in dumped garden waste.
Environmental Impact
• This species and is regarded an environmental weed in
south-eastern Queensland, where it is on the list of the
top 200 invasive naturalized plants, and as a priority
weed in far northern Queensland. It is also seen as a
potential sleeper weed in other states.
Other Impacts
• All parts of this plant are very poisonous, especially the
oily seeds.
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7. Uses
• Thevetia is used medicinally throughout the tropics in
spite of its toxicity.
• A bark or leaf decoction is taken to loosen the bowels,
as an emetic, and is said to be an effective cure for
intermittent fevers.
• The seeds may be used as a purgative.
• The bark and seeds are used to poison rats, and also
for criminal purposes.
• The seeds act as a contact poison; mashed with a soap
solution they are used as an insecticide.
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8. Side Effects & Safety
• Injecting a specific oleander product (Anvirzel) into the
muscle is POSSIBLY SAFE when administered by a
healthcare professional for up to 3 weeks.
Oleander is LIKELY UNSAFE for anyone to take by mouth. It
can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, headache,
stomach pain, serious heart problems, and many other side
effects. Taking oleander leaf, oleander leaf tea, or oleander
seeds has led to deadly poisonings.
• Oleander is POSSIBLY UNSAFE when applied to the skin. It
can be absorbed into the body in some people. Touching
oleander sap can cause a rash.
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Anvirzel is an extract of Nerium oleander (family Apocynaceae) that contains
two toxic cardiac glycosides, Oleandrin and Oleandrigenin [8], which have anti-
proliferative effects against various types of cancer.

10. Scientific Name
Allamanda cathartica L.
Family
Apocynaceae
Common Names
allamanda, brownbud allamanda, buttercup
flower, common trumpet vine, cup of gold,
golden allamanda, golden cup etc
Origin
Native to tropical South America (i.e. Brazil,
French Guiana, Guyana and Surinam).
Cultivation
Widely cultivated in gardens in Australia,
particularly in sub-tropical and tropical
regions.
Habitat
Yellow allamanda (Allamanda cathartica)
prefers moist, well-drained, soils in tropical
regions.
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11. Distinguishing Features
• a vine or climbing shrub with milky sap.
• its leaves are leathery in nature and are usually arranged
in groups of three or four along the stems.
• its large bright yellow flowers are trumpet-shaped with five
spreading petal lobes.
• its rounded fruit capsules (about 4 cm across) are densely
covered with soft spines (about 1 cm long).
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12. Stems and Leaves
• The older stems are mostly woody and brownish in color,
while the younger branches are generally green and
hairless (i.e. glabrous). The stems and leaves both contain
a milky sap (i.e. latex).
Flowers and Fruit
• The large flowers (7-11 cm long and 5-7.5 cm wide)
have five bright yellow petals that are fused together at the
base to form a tube (i.e. corolla tube) about 4-8 cm long.
• The fruit are rounded (i.e. globose) capsules (about 30-75
mm across) that are densely covered with soft spines
(about 1 cm long).
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13. Stems and leaves Flowers and fruits
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14. Reproduction and Dispersal
• This species reproduces by seed and can also be
propagated via stems segments. Yellow allamanda
(Allamanda cathartica) is probably mainly spread in garden
waste that is dumped along roadsides and in bushland.
Environmental Impact
• Yellow allamanda (Allamanda cathartica) is regarded as an
environmental weed in northern Queensland.
Other Impacts
• All parts of this species are toxic to livestock and humans,
and the sticky milky sap can cause skin irritation
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15. Uses
. The fruit contains a chemical compound used as active liver disease
drug and chemical substances that have antioxidant
properties.Other benefits i.e. sap Golden-trumpet, common
Allamanda (Allamanda Cathartica) who are white have anti bacterial
properties and also antibiotics so it can serve as a preventive
medicine and cancer disease germs or bacteria.
. Flowers are Golden-trumpet, common Allamanda (Allamanda
Cathartica) it can also be used to prevent complications from
malaria and swelling of the spleen, and may be used for the
treatment of jaundice.
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16. Side Effects & Safety
• All parts of the plant contain the iridoid
lactone allamandin and may produce
symptoms of vomiting or diarrhea if ingested.
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17. CONCLUSION
• The presence of Quercitrin may be responsible
for the anti-inflammatory activity.
• The methanol extract of the roots of
Allamanda cathartica has significant
antioxidant effect.
• Flower exhibit hepato protective activity.
• It is widely used in the treatment of wounds
and also used in ringworm infections.
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