Apocynaceae FAMILY
Pergularia daemia
Pergularia daemia
Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5
Safety & Hazards
A highly toxic plant, especially the aerial parts, due to the presence of numerous cardenolides and cardenolide glycoside; these have digitalis-like cardio-activity[1]. The latex in the plant is poisonous. It is used as a fishing and hunting poison, and is added to water to poison animals[1].
Cultivation Details
HabitPerennial Climber
Growth—
The plant is one of the commonest weeds on the Deccan Plateau[2]. The plant has a foetid scent[2].
Propagation
Seed - Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Pergularia+daemia>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
- [2]Economic Products of India. Volume 1. — Watt. G. · Government of India: Calcutta. · 1883 ↩︎Although over 100 years old, it still contains a wealth of information on useful plants. Many of the botanical names have been changed since then, so you have to check for up to date names. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [3]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
- [4]Traditional Vegetables in Benin — Achigan-Dako E. Et al · Darwin Initiative; International Foundation for Science · 2009 ↩︎Issued as a PDF on the Internet, it contains basic information on over 250 species of plants used for food in Benin.