ajmaline

Rauvolfia serpentina is a flowering plant in the milkweed family, Apocynaceae. It is distributed across several regions, including the Andaman Islands, Assam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China (South-Central and Southeast), the East Himalaya, Hainan, India, Java, the Laccadive Islands, Laos, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, the Marianas, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The species was described in 1877 by Benth. ex Kurz. It is also known by the common names Indian snakeroot, devil pepper, serpentine wood, Sarpagandha, and Chandrika. Taxonomic clarification has been provided regarding the type material, with Monachino's type statement accepted under Art. 9.15 of the nomenclatural code.