Apocynaceae in the context of "Milkweed"

Vinca (/ˈvɪŋkə/; Latin: vincire "to bind, fetter") is an Old World genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. The English name periwinkle is shared with the related genus Catharanthus (and with the mollusc Littorina littorea). Some Vinca species are cultivated but have also spread invasively. Additionally, some species have medicinal uses. The most widespread species is Vinca minor.

Plumeria (/pluːˈmɛriə/), also known as frangipani, is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Rauvolfioideae, of the family Apocynaceae. Most species are deciduous shrubs or small trees. The species are native to the Neotropical realm (in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, and as far south as Brazil and as far north as Florida in the United States), but are often grown as cosmopolitan ornamentals in tropical regions, especially in Hawaii, as well as hot desert climates in the Arabian Peninsula with proper irrigation.

Cerbera odollam is a tree species in the family Apocynaceae commonly known as the suicide tree or pong-pong. It bears a fruit known as othalanga whose seeds yield a potent poison called cerberin. It has historically been used in trials by ordeal, especially in Madagascar, where it has caused thousands of deaths annually, and continues to be used for suicide, particularly in Kerala, India. It can cause fatal heart arrhythmias with just one kernel and is responsible for numerous poisonings due to its easily masked taste and limited testing.

It is native to South and Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands, and Queensland, Australia, growing preferentially along sandy coasts, riverbanks, and by mangrove swamps. It is also grown in tropical areas such as Hawaii as an ornamental. It is a 10–12 meter tall plant with glossy leaves, white-yellow flowers, and poisonous seeds encased in a red-ripening fruit that resembles oleander and produces a milky latex. Its seeds are used as biopesticides, insect repellents, and rat poisons due to their toxicity and have also been studied as a non-edible, sustainable feedstock for biodiesel production on non-arable land.

Nerium oleander (/ˈnɪəriəm ... / NEER-ee-əm), commonly known as oleander or rosebay, is a shrub or small tree cultivated worldwide in temperate and subtropical areas as an ornamental and landscaping plant. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Nerium, belonging to subfamily Apocynoideae of the dogbane family Apocynaceae. It is so widely cultivated that no precise region of origin has been identified, though it is usually associated with the Mediterranean Basin.

Nerium grows to 2–6 metres (7–20 feet) tall. It is most commonly grown in its natural shrub form, but can be trained into a small tree with a single trunk. It is tolerant to both drought and inundation, but not to prolonged frost. White, pink or red five-lobed flowers grow in clusters year-round, peaking during the summer. The fruit is a long narrow pair of follicles, which splits open at maturity to release numerous downy seeds.

Ceropegia dichotoma (Spanish: cardoncillo) is a flowering plant in the genus Ceropegia (Apocynaceae). It is endemic to the Canary Islands, where it grows on Tenerife (Macizo de Anaga, Buenavista del Norte and Barranco del Infierno in Adeje), El Hierro, La Gomera, and La Palma in the Tabaibal-Cardonal zone at up to about 600 m altitude. It was first described in 1812.

It can grow up to 1.2 m in height, and is abundant in terrains with good drainage in grainy soil and plenty of sun and prolonged dry climate. The flowers are grouped from two to seven at the end of the trunk; each flower 3 cm long, tubular, pale yellow, with five narrow lobes joined at the tip; flowering is in autumn and winter. The fruit is a pair of large horn-shaped capsules up to 12 cm long.

Ceropegia fusca is a flowering plant in the genus Ceropegia (Apocynaceae). It is endemic to the Canary Islands, where it grows on Tenerife (especially the Macizo de Anaga area), Gran Canaria, and La Palma in the Tabaibal-Cardonal zone at up to about 600 m altitude.

The tangena ordeal was a form of trial by ordeal practiced in Madagascar to determine the guilt or innocence of an accused party. The trial utilized seeds of the tree species Cerbera manghas (family Apocynaceae), which produces seeds that contain highly toxic cardiac glycosides including cerberin and tanghinin.

The tradition of the tangena ordeal, dates to at least the 16th century in Imerina. It has been estimated that the poison may have been responsible for the deaths of as much as 2% of the population of the central province of Madagascar each year on average. Mortality peaked during the reign of Queen Ranavalona I (1828–1861), when the tangena ordeal was used extensively.