Cerbera is a genus of evergreen trees and shrubs in the family Apocynaceae (order Gentianales), comprising around six accepted species native to the tropical coasts and islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, with a range extending from Madagascar and East Africa through the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Malesia, Papuasia, northern Australia, and across into the Pacific.
Plants grow as perennial trees or large shrubs reaching up to 30 m (98 ft) in height. The branches bear conspicuous leaf scars, and the leaves are spirally arranged and crowded toward the branch tips, each with up to 30 lateral veins. All parts of the plant exude a white sticky latex when cut. Inflorescences are terminal, with flowers borne on short pedicels; the corolla is white with a red, pink, yellow, or white centre, 5-petalled and radially symmetrical. Fruits are ellipsoid drupes — green, red, purple, or blue — each containing one or two seeds.
The genus is notable for being highly toxic: all species contain cerberin, a cardiac glycoside that disrupts electrical impulses in the heart. Three species — C. floribunda, C. manghas, and C. odollam — grow in mangrove habitats. Cerbera manghas is the widest-ranging member, found from Tanzania and Madagascar to the Pacific islands, and is the lectotype of the genus.
Cerbera was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 in Species Plantarum. It is most closely related to the genera Cerberiopsis, Thevetia, and Cascabela, all within the subfamily Rauvolfioideae of Apocynaceae.
Etymology
The name Cerbera derives from Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the underworld in Greek mythology. The allusion reflects the deadly nature of the genus: all species contain cerberin, a cardiac glycoside that blocks electrical impulses in the heart. Even the smoke from burning Cerbera wood is considered potentially lethal.
Distribution
Cerbera is native to tropical Asia, Australia, Madagascar, and numerous islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. C. manghas has the broadest range, occurring from Tanzania and Madagascar through the Indian subcontinent, mainland Southeast Asia, Malesia, Papuasia, northern Australia, and the Pacific. C. odollam shares a similar Indo-Pacific range, while C. dumicola and C. inflata are restricted to Queensland, Australia.
Cultural Uses
All Cerbera species are toxic and should not be used as timber or fuel; the smoke from burning the wood may cause lethal poisoning. The cardiac glycoside cerberin, present throughout the plant, has historically drawn attention from toxicologists and is implicated in poisonings across South and Southeast Asia.
Taxonomy Notes
Cerbera was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 in Species Plantarum, where he included three species. Of these, only C. manghas remains in the genus today (the others were moved to separate genera); it serves as the lectotype. The genus belongs to family Apocynaceae, order Gentianales. Its closest relatives are Cerberiopsis, Thevetia, and Cascabela.
