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Acokanthera oppositifolia
Also called Bushman's Arrow Poison, Common Poison Bush, Common Poisonbush, Wintersweet, Buhman' Bush, Bushman's Poison Bush, Bushman's Poisontree
Bushman's Poison is a poisonous shrub or small tree from southern and central Africa, traditionally used as an arrow poison. It is grown mainly as a garden or landscape specimen in frost-free, seasonally dry climates rather than as a common houseplant.
Acokanthera oppositifolia, the poison arrow tree, is a shrub used as the source of an arrow poison and to coat caltrops made from the sharp fruits of the puncture vine (Tribulus terrestris). All plants of the genus Acokanthera contain toxic cardiac glycosides strong enough to cause death. Acokanthera oppositifolia is widespread in southern and central Africa from Cape Province north to The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.
Acokanthera schimperi is employed for the same purpose.
Acokanthera laevigata · African Wintersweet · Round-leaved Poison-bush · Arrow Poison Tree · Poison Bushes
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Acokanthera oppositifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
