FoI
Small-Fruit Wild Frangipani
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Small-Fruit Wild Frangipani
P Introduced Photo: Aarti Khale
Common name: Small-Fruit Wild Frangipani
Botanical name: Voacanga africana    Family: Apocynaceae (Oleander family)
Synonyms: Voacanga glabra, Voacanga lemosii, Voacanga spectabilis

Small-Fruit Wild Frangipani is a small tree, 1-11 m tall and branching from low down. The bole can be 2-30 cm in diameter. Leaves are obovate, up to 30 cm long. The tree produces yellowish or white flowers, which are sweet-scented. Fruit has a green exocarp and yellow mesocarp surrounding the seeds. The fruit naturally splits in half when it is ripe. Small-Fruit Wild Frangipani is native to Africa. Because of its fragrant flowers, it is often grown as an ornamental plant.
Medicinal uses: The latex obtained from the tree is applied to wounds and into carious teeth. An extract of the bark is used for washing sores. The plant (parts unspecified, possibly the bark-sap) is used in Congo for treating sores, furuncles, abscesses, fungal infections, filaria and eczema. A decoction of the leaves is taken orally as a strengthener and is a treatment for fatigue due to shortness of breath.

Identification credit: Aarti Khale Photographed in Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bangaluru.

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