The WALA Plant Library
Strophanthus

Synonyms for Strophanthus: Kombé seed
Scientific Name: Strophanthus kombe Oliv.
Family: Apocynaceae (dogbane family)

Description:

If you want to see this plant with the exotic name in its natural habitat you will have to travel a long way. The small, climbing shrub from the liana family grows in the hot, dry forests of East Africa. It is often to be found in mountainous regions and has a milky sap. The ovoid leaves have hairs on both sides when young. As they age their surfaces become more grooved, almost wrinkled. From October to December white flowers grow in pairs at the tips of its branches. Their elongated petals end in twisting thread-like points which lend the plant an exotic elegance. Later the flowers produce straight, pod-like seed heads which always grow in twos facing each other. When the seeds are ripe the pods burst lengthways and release seeds covered in fluffy hairs which are caught by the wind and disseminated.