Rauvolfia caffra is an evergreen tree, up to 30 m tall, with a roundish crown. The main stem is straight, tall, and bare. Bark is grey to brown, rough with prominent leaf scars on younger branches, becoming yellowish brown, thinly corky and cracked into small squares with age. Leaves simple, in whorls of 3-6, crowded at the ends of the branchlets, slightly leathery, tapering to both ends, about 120-280 mm long and 30-60 mm broad. Leaf blade shiny green above, paler green below with midrib raised and margins smooth. Leaf stalk up to 35 mm long. Flowers are produced in terminal sprays at ends of branches, small, about 4 mm long, white, waxy and sweetly scented, with dense hairs at mouth of flower tube. Flowering time is from May to October. Fruits are in large branched clusters, fleshy, almost spherical, 1- or 2-locular, shiny dark green with white spots, turning black and wrinkled when mature. Fruiting time is from October to March.
Quininetree Care
Rauvolfia Caffra
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Humidity
High
Lighting
Full Sun
Temperature
25°C - 30°C
Hardiness zone
7 - 3
Difficulty
Easy
How to Care for the Plant
Soil
Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Temperature
A plant of the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations from 1,500 - 3,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 14 - 23°c, but can tolerate 7 - 27°c[ 418 ]. It can be killed by temperatures of 7°c or lower[ 418 ].
Container
Boxes
Additional
Quinine, termed a "general protoplasmic poison" is toxic to many bacteria, yeasts, and trypanosomes, as well as to malarial plasmodia. Quinine has local anesthetic action but also is an irritant. The irritant effects may be responsible in part for the nausea associated with its clinical use. Cinchona, (genus Cinchona), genus of about 23 species of plants, mostly trees, in the madder family (Rubiaceae), native to the Andes of South America. The bark of some species contains quinine and is useful against malaria.
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