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Strophanthus kombe
Also called Kombe, Kombe Poisonrope, Kombe Strophanthus, Large Leaved Poisonroot, Tailflower, Zambezi Tail Flower, Kombe Tailflower
Strophanthus kombe is a climbing or scrambling deciduous vine (sometimes a shrub) from tropical East and southern Africa, valued historically for arrow poison and today as a source of heart medicines. It is a wild species rarely grown as a garden plant, so care details are general.
Strophanthus kombe, the kombe arrow poison, is a vine that grows in the tropical regions of Eastern Africa, and is part of the genus Strophanthus, which contains approximately 38 species. S. kombe contains a cardiac glycoside which directly affects the heart. Historically, both the seeds and roots of the plant were used in the preparation of poison arrowheads used for hunting. Today, the seeds are used pharmaceutically for patients with certain heart conditions that affect blood circulation. The seeds are traded primarily with Europe, but have also been exported to the United States and Japan.
Strophanthus kombe is found growing naturally in the tropical regions of southeast Africa. As it is not a commercially cultivated species, it principally occurs as wild plant. It is not typically seen growing outside of its native region, although specimens are sometimes collected from the wild to be grown in foreign botanical gardens.
Strophanthus kombe is known for its historical use as a source of arrow poison. Today it is used medicinally to treat heart failure. The plant has been used for two extremes, ending a life and saving a life, so proper dosage is crucial when using this plant medicinally. Cardiac glycosides extracted from the seeds reduce the heart rate but increase the force and efficiency of the contractions. Some glycosides can also be found in the roots and flowers. A mixture of glycosides known as strophanthin-k is found in the seeds. The purified compound is a white crystalline powder that is water-soluble and liable to hydrolysis under warm acidic conditions.
Elephant Vine · Wood Shaving Flower · Tailless Tail Flower · Goat Horns · Emin's strophanthus · Ouabain · Preuss' strophanthus · Strophanthus · Forest Poisonrope · Strophanthus welwitschii · Strophanthus
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Strophanthus kombe 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.
