Common Name: Arrow Poison Tree

General Information

Arrow poison tree is a dense, round, evergreen shrub, or a spreading, sparsely-branched tree growing up to 9 metres tall[, ]. The bole is short[]. There are two main types of Acokanthera schimperi:- a large-leaved (up to 11 cm) and a small-leaved one[]. A third type that is climbing and has shortly and sharply recurved leaf margins has been reported in Kenya[].
This species, and other members of the genus, are among the most commonly used plant species for the preparation of poison in East Africa[]. An ornamental plant, it is used to provide shade or live fences in parks or around houses. It is also employed medicinally and is an important food in times of famine[].

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant, except the pulp of the fully ripe fruit, are highly poisonous[]. They contain large amounts of cardiac glycosides (cardenolides), of which nearly 20 have been identified[]. The plant is widely used as an arrow poison in Africa[].
The only treatment against the poison is immediate excision of the flesh around the wound, or sucking the blood from the wound[].
Birds have been known to drop dead on sucking nectar from the flowers[].

Botanical References

Range

East tropical Africa - Eritrea south to Tanzania and west to Uganda, Rwanda and eastern DR Congo.

Habitat

Margins of dry forest, in relict forest, thickets, grasslands and bushland, at elevations from 1,100 - 2,400 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	9.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of moderate elevations in the tropics, it is also found at lower elevations, though this appears to be associated with human introduction[]. It is found wild at elevations from 1,100 - 2,400 metres[, ]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 17 - 23°c, but can tolerate 15 - 28°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 500 - 700mm, but tolerates 400 - 1,000mm[].
Prefers a sunny position in well-drained, red or black rocky soils, but also grows on black cotton soil and poor soil of dry sites[, ]. Established plants are drought resistant[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7[].
The plant has a moderate rate of growth[].

Edible Uses

The fruits are edible and an important famine food[]. They are sweet and slightly bitter when fully ripe[, ]. They are also used to make jams[]. The unripe fruits and seeds are highly poisonous, and several cases of accidental poisoning of children have been recorded[].

The latex in the fruits is used as chewing gum by children[].

Medicinal

All parts of the plant, except the fully ripe fruit, contain high levels of cardiac glycosides and are very poisonous[]. Internal medicinal use of this plant should not be carried out without expert guidance. Plants from the coastal zone of Kenya contain a high percentage of the glycoside ouabain, and could thus have medical and commercial potential in congestive heart failure treatment[].

The leaves are used both internally and externally in traditional medicine. An infusion is gargled to treat tonsillitis[]. The dried, pulverized leaves are taken with honey as an antifertility medicine[].
Externally, the leaves and bark are applied to the skin to treat skin disorders[].
A mixture made from the leaves, bark and butter is used for gall-bladder problems[].

A decoction of the bark has been used when menstruation does not stop[].

A hot infusion of the pounded root is drunk in small quantities to treat sexually transmitted diseases, and also as an aphrodisiac[].

Other Uses

The smoke of dried roots and twigs is insect repellent; too much smoke is harmful for humans as well[].

The wood is very hard and compact and branches are used in making spear shafts[].
The wood is used as firewood and to make charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - the seeds have high moisture content and lose viability easily under ambient conditions and on storage[]. Seed germination is low[].

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