Bush Allamanda

Overview

Allamanda schottii is native to Argentina, Brazil, and French Guiana. Genus name is in honor of Swiss botanist Frederik Allamand, and specific epithet may honor Richard van der Schot (c.1730-1819). In tropical areas, it is often grown as a hedge. The stems exude a toxic milky sap. This plant is usually grown as an ornamental or in containers or greenhouses.

Vernacular Names

Akar chempaka hutan (Malaysia), Ban phara (Thai), Day huynh la hep (Vietnamese), Huang ying (Chinese).

Agroecology

Grow in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Best flowering in full sun. Best performance occurs in hot and humid climates where nighttime temperatures do not dip below 15.5 °C. Container plants must be brought inside before first frost and overwintered as houseplants in large sunny rooms with intense bright light and moderate humidity or in a greenhouse. Can be difficult to grow as a houseplant due to large size.

Morphology

• Stem - thin, with a milky sap and sometimes scandent branches.
• Leaves - elliptic to obovate, dull green, narrow, opposite or whorled, 2 to 5 at each node, 8 to 10 cm long, 2 to 3 cm wide.
• Flowers - inflorescence is paniculate. bell-shaped with a golden yellow corolla, striped orange at the throat, up to 6 cm across, with a short and swollen tube, angular at the base.
• Fruit - a globose and prickly capsule.

Cultivation

Vegetatively propagated by stem cutting.

Chemical Constituents

Flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin, rutin), plumericin, scopoletin, ursolic acid, plumierede, scoparone, ß-sitosterol and stigmasterol.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• Studies have shown antiproliferative, cytotoxic, anti-leishmanial properties.
• It is used as purgative and vermifuge.