Thevetia peruviana
Nat. Pflanzenfam. 120–122[IV,2]): 159. 1895.
Trees or shrubs 1.5–3.5(–8) m. Leaves: petiole 1.9–16.3 × 0.1–2.8 mm, glabrous; blade lanceolate, oblong, or oblanceolate, 4.7–15.3 × 0.4–2.2 cm, base attenuate, margins entire, apex acute, surfaces glabrous, lateral veins indistinct. Inflorescences to 8-flowered; peduncle 2–9 mm, glabrous; bracts deciduous, ovate, 1.8–6.3 × 0.6–2 mm, glabrous. Pedicels 1.3–6.2 cm, glabrous. Flowers: sepals spreading, ovate to lanceolate, 0.3–1.3 × 0.2–0.5 cm, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous; corolla tube 0.9–1.8 × 0.3–0.6 cm, internally pubescent, throat 0.7–1.7 × 0.5–2.2 cm, lobes ascending to spreading, obovate to oblong, (0.6–)1.4–3.5 × 1.7–2.5 cm, glabrous; filaments separate; anthers sagittate, 1.9–2.3 × 1.4–1.6 mm; ovary 1.9–4 × 1.7–3 mm, glabrous; style 10–20.1 mm; stigma 2–3 × 2.3–3 mm; nectar disc 5-lobed, 0.8–1 mm. Drupes dehiscent, (1.2–)2.5–4 × (1.5–)2–5 cm, sometimes lenticellate. Seeds 1–2 × 1–1.3 cm. 2n = 20.
Phenology: Flowering spring–fall; fruiting spring–fall.
Habitat: Shorelines.
Elevation: 0–90 m.
Distribution
Introduced; Fla., Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, introduced also in Bermuda, Asia, Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia.
Discussion
Thevetia peruviana is cultivated in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas, as well as in the tropics around the world (L. O. Alvarado-Cárdenas and H. Ochoterena 2007). It has escaped cultivation and become naturalized in Florida in Brevard, Miami-Dade, and Sarasota counties.
Selected References
None.