834

Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz

Synonym	:	Rauvolfia obversa (Miq.) Baill.
Family	:	Apocynaceae
Local name	:	English - Serpentina, Snake root Malayalam - Amalpori, Chuvannavilpuri
Flowering and fruiting period	:	April-October
Distribution	:	South and south east Asia
Distribution in Kerala	:	All Districts
Habitat	:	Moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
Uses	:	It is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).
Key Botanical Characters: Subshrubs, rootstock thick, sap watery. Leaves simple, whorled, 3-4 at each node, oblanceolate, acuminate at both ends, glabrous. Flowers white, or red. Cymes axillary and terminal, densely flowered. Sepals oblong, acute. Corolla white, lobes 5 mm long, oblong, obtuse. Capsules, ovoid, obtuse, black; fruiting calyx crimson.