Strophanthus caudatus Kurz

Trailing shrub or climber to 12 m. Branchlets densely lenticellate. Leaves: petiole 3-18 mm long; blade papery to coriaceous, elliptic, obovate or ovate, 5-23 by 1.8-11.5 cm, 1.5-3.2 times as long as wide, apex acuminate to rounded or rarely emarginate, base cuneate, 6-12 pairs of veins anastomosing before margin. Inflorescence robust; peduncle glabrous or minutely puberulent, 2-42 cm long; pedicels 3-11 mm long; bracts ovate to ovate-linear, 2.5-4.5(-17) mm long. Sepals puberulent, ciliate, usually ovate, 3-19 by 1.5-6 mm, 1-6.5 times as long as wide, apex acute to acuminate. Corolla white with brownish purple on lobes or purplish red with white and yellow in the centre; tube 1.3-4.2 cm long, widening at 8-12 mm, glabrous or puberulous only at top of tube inside and outside; lobes 2.3-15 cm long, with long narrow tails, 2.2-4 mm wide and up to 25.5 cm long, glabrous or puberulous; corona lobes narrow triangular, 3-10 mm long. Stamens inserted at 0.8-2.2 cm from corolla base; anthers 13-25 by 0.8-1.6 cm long of which acumen 10-19 mm. Ovaries sparsely and minutely puberulent, 1.3-2.5 mm long; style and style head 10-18 mm long. Fruit tapering into an obtuse apex, 10-30 by 1.9-4.8 cm, lenticellate. Seeds 10-25 by 3-4 mm; glabrous or minutely puberulent; beak glabrous for 0.5-1.4 cm and bearing a coma for 1.8-2.3 cm, coma 5-9 cm long.

Primary or secondary forest, often in forest margins at elevations from sea level to around 900 metres.

UsesTraditionally used as an ingredient of arrow poison. Also used locally as a heart stimulant.

Can be grown by seedlings.