Alstonia macrophylla
Gen. Hist. 4: 87. 1837.
Trees 3–10(–50) m. Leaves in whorls of 3 or 4; petiole 2–25 mm, glabrous; blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic, obovate, or narrowly obovate, 4.5–25(–30) × 1.5–10 cm, coriaceous, base acute to decurrent on petiole, margins not revolute, apex rounded to narrowly acuminate, surfaces glabrous or pubescent abaxially. Peduncles 1–6(–8) cm, pubescent or glabrous. Pedicels (0–)1–4(–6) mm, pubescent or glabrous. Flowers: calyx lobes ovate to broadly ovate, 1–2.5 mm, pubescent or glabrous, ciliate; corolla white or cream, glabrous or very sparsely eglandular-pubescent abaxially, eglandular-pubescent adaxially, tube and throat together to 6.5 mm, tube 2–3.5 × 1–1.5 mm, throat 2–3 × 1.5–2 mm, lobes spreading, ovate or obliquely ovate, 3–7 × 1–2.5 mm. Follicles 25–60 × 0.2–0.4 cm. Seeds 5–10(–12) × 1.5–4 mm.
Phenology: Flowering winter–spring; fruiting spring–summer.
Habitat: Disturbed pinelands and coastal hammocks.
Elevation: 0–10 m.
Distribution
Introduced; Fla., se Asia, Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands.
Discussion
Alstonia macrophylla has become naturalized in a few coastal hammocks and along the margins of disturbed pinelands in Miami-Dade County.
Stem, root, and leaf extracts of Alstonia macrophylla are commonly employed in traditional medicine in Thailand. M. S. Khyade et al. (2014) reported that leaf extracts of A. macrophylla exhibited antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic activity, and an extract of the root bark demonstrated potent activity against a multidrug-resistant strain of the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
Selected References
None.