Loganiaceae FAMILY

Gelsemium sempervirens

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

4/5

Safety & Hazards

All parts of the plant usually contain toxic alkaloids[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]. Eating just one flower has reportedly been lethal to children[ 207 Title The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Publication Author Coffey. T. Publisher Facts on File. Year 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6 Description A nice read, lots of information on plant uses. , 222 Title A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Publication Author Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. Publisher Houghton Mifflin Co. Year 1990 ISBN 0395467225 Description A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties. ]. The plant can also cause skin allergies in some people and it is possible that the plant toxins can be absorbed through the skin, especially if there are cuts[ 238 Title Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Publication Author Bown. D. Publisher Dorling Kindersley, London. Year 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31 Description A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant. ].

Botanical Description

Gelsemium sempervirens is an evergreen, climbing shrub producing stems 3 metres or more long. The plant is harvested from the wild for medicinal use.

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate; tropical

Native RangeCentral America - Belize north to S.E. N. America from Florida and Texas to Arkansas and S. Virginia

HabitatAlong sea coasts[ 166 Title The Milder Garden. Publication Author Taylor. J. Publisher Dent Year 1990 ISBN Description A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain. ] in dry to wet woods, thickets and sands[ 43 Title Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition Publication Author Fernald. M. L. Publisher American Book Co.; New York Year 1950 ISBN 0442222505 Description A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America. ]. In damp thickets or forest; at elevations from 1,200 - 2,600 metres in Guatemala[ 331 Title Flora of Guatemala Publication Author Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Year 1946 - 1976 ISBN Description A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/ ].