be still tree
Rauvolfia tetraphylla L.
Rauvolfia tetraphylla L., known as be still tree, is a member of the Apocynaceae family. It is a shrub or small tree native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America. The species is cultivated for ornamental and medicinal purposes and has become naturalized in tropical regions worldwide, including Australasia, Indochina, and India. It is also found in parts of South and Southeast Asia, as well as several countries in the Neotropics.
Description
Rauvolfia tetraphylla was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus. It is an illegitimate replacement name for R. hirsuta Jacq. (1760). The species is documented in various regions of Colombia, including Atlántico, Bolívar, Cesar, and others, as well as in global tropical areas. Taxonomic discussions have addressed the type material and nomenclatural history, with multiple authors contributing to its classification. The plant is commonly known as be still tree and devil-pepper in English. It is widely cultivated and has been naturalized in many tropical regions outside its native range.
Other common names
four-leaf devil-peppermilkbushdevil-pepperbe still tree
Distribution
Atlántico: Vereda Luriza (Distrito de Manejo Integrado Luriza), Hacienda Río Dulce y La Gloria (Parque Natural Regional Los Rosales) · Atlántico, Bolivar, Cesar, Cundinamarca, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Nariño, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca · Subregiones: Enclaves subxerofíticos · Barrancas | Distracción | Hatonuevo | Piojó | Riohacha · Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta | Parque Nacional Natural Macuira | Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona · TW · Cepitá | Girón | Piedecuesta | Pinchote | Rionegro | Tona · IN · AU · Atlántico, Bolívar, Caldas, Cesar, Chocó, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, La Guajira, Huila, Magdalena, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle · Global · Andaman Is. · Assam · Bangladesh · Belize · Bolivia · China South-Central · China Southeast · Colombia · Costa Rica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · El Salvador · French Guiana · Guatemala · Hainan · Haiti · Honduras · India · Jamaica
Synonyms
Rauvolfia canescensRauvolfia heterophyllaRauvolfia hirsutaRauvolfia nitidaRauvolfia odontophoraRauvolfia subpubescensRauvolfia tomentosaRauvolfia canescens var. glabraRauvolfia canescens var. intermediaRauvolfia canescens var. tomentosaRauvolfia heterophylla var. puberulaRauvolfia hirsuta var. glabraRauvolfia latifolia var. minorRauvolfia canescens var. typica
