Rauvolfia caffra
(quinine tree )

Preferred Common Name

• quinine tree

Other Scientific Names

• Rauvolfia goetzei Stapf
• Rauvolfia gonioclada K.Schum. ex Stapf
• Rauvolfia inebrians K.Schum.
• Rauvolfia leucopoda K.Schum. ex Stapf
• Rauvolfia mayombensis Pellegr.
• Rauvolfia natalensis Sond.
• Rauvolfia obliquinervis Stapf
• Rauvolfia ochrosioides K.Schum.
• Rauvolfia oxyphylla Stapf
• Rauvolfia tchibangensis Pellegr.
• Rauvolfia welwitschii Stapf

International Common Names

• English: African quinine; rauvolfia
• Spanish: arbol de quinina

Local Common Names

• Cuba: arbol de quinina ; rauwolfia
• South Africa: umHlambamanzi; kinaboom; quinine tree; umJelo; umKhadluvungu; umThundisa
• Tanzania: mkufi; msesewe; mwembemwitu; olchapukalyan; oljabokaryan
• Zimbabwe: mutowamakaka; mudzurungu; mukamamasanhi; mukashu; mukaurura; musingwiswi

• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Plantae
•         Phylum: Spermatophyta
•             Subphylum: Angiospermae
•                 Class: Dicotyledonae
•                     Order: Gentianales
•                         Family: Apocynaceae
•                             Genus: Rauvolfia
•                                 Species: Rauvolfia caffra

The family Apocynaceae includes about 400 genera and 4,555 species distributed mostly across tropical to warm temperate regions the world (Stevens, 2012). Members of this family are characterized by the presence of “milky latex” and include trees, shrubs, vines and rarely subshrubs and herbs (Jussieu, 2011). Rauvolfia (sometimes misspelled as Rauwolfia) is a pantropical genus of about 60 species, especially diverse in the Old World (Stevens, 2012).

Rauvolfia was named after Leonhart Rauwolf of Augsburg, a 16th century medical doctor and collector of medicinal plants; caffra refers to Kaffraria (now the Eastern Cape). The common name 'quinine tree' refers to the bitter and supposedly quinine-like properties of the bark (Mnxati, 2011).

R. caffra is a medium-sized to fairly large tree up to 40 m tall; bole up to 1 m in diameter; bark grey to brown, smooth or rough and corky, fissured; branchlets often 4-5-angular or 4-5-winged, with conspicuous leaf scars. Leaves in whorls of 3-6, crowded at the top of branches, simple and entire; stipules absent; petiole up to 6 cm long; blade narrowly elliptical to narrowly obovate, 2-50(-70) cm × 1-15(-20) cm, base decurrent into the petiole, apex acute, glabrous. Inflorescence a congested cyme, in terminal whorls of 1-4, many-flowered; peduncle 1.5-13.5 cm long, glabrous. Flowers bisexual, regular, 5-merous, fragrant; pedicel up to 2 mm long; sepals fused at base, unequal, ovate, 0.5-1.5 mm long; corolla tube cylindrical, 3-5.5 mm long, glabrous outside, inside glabrous in the basal 1.5-4.5 mm, then shortly hairy to the mouth and hairy at the base of the lobes inside, lobes ovate to obovate, 0.5-1.5 mm long, white, greenish white or yellowish white; stamens inserted at 2-4 mm above the corolla base, included; ovary superior, globose to obovate, composed of 2 partly fused or free carpels, style 0.5-3 mm long, pistil head cylindrical with a basal collar and a stigmoid apex. Fruit a globose to ellipsoid drupe 5-20 mm long when 1 carpel is developed, obcordate, 2-lobed, 10-30 mm long when both carpels are developed, dark red, 1-2-seeded. Seeds ellipsoid, 7-13 mm long, laterally compressed (PROTA, 2016).

Soil drainage

• free
• seasonally waterlogged

Soil reaction

• acid
• neutral

Soil texture

• light
• medium

R. caffra spreads by seed and stumps (PROTA, 2016). The hydrophilic nature of the plant allows seed dispersal by water to take place (Mnxati, 2011). Fruits are also dispersed by birds (Orwa et al., 2009; PROTA, 2016).

Currently, R. caffra has been listed as invasive only in Cuba, where it has escaped from cultivation (Granda and Fuentes, 1987; Oviedo Prieto et al., 2012). Its large size and invasive root system are reported as displacing native vegetation (Oviedo Prieto et al., 2012).

• Proved invasive outside its native range
• Has a broad native range
• Abundant in its native range
• Highly adaptable to different environments
• Is a habitat generalist
• Tolerates, or benefits from, cultivation, browsing pressure, mutilation, fire etc
• Tolerant of shade
• Benefits from human association (i.e. it is a human commensal)
• Long lived
• Fast growing

• Conflict
• Damaged ecosystem services
• Ecosystem change/ habitat alteration
• Reduced native biodiversity
• Threat to/ loss of native species

• Competition - shading
• Rapid growth
• Rooting

• Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately

Economic Value

In Tanzania the root extract and ground stem bark are both added to a local beer made of bananas. The wood is suitable for making fruit boxes, kitchen furniture and shelving. Household utensils and drums are sometimes carved from it. In Kenya poles are used in hut building and for making beehives. The tree is a good source of fuel wood. The bark contains a fibre that is used in Cameroon and Gabon to make bowstrings and cords.

R. caffra is a decorative fast-growing tree for sheltered gardens, which is planted as an ornamental shade tree in southern Africa (Orwa et al., 2009; FAO, 2016; PROTA, 2016).        

Social Benefit

R. caffra has many traditional medicinal applications as well as established modern pharmaceutical uses. In Africa, the bark is used to treat rheumatism, pneumonia, and colic. The root is used for insomnia, and intestinal worms. It is also used to treat malaria, hypertension, and psychosis (Orwa et al., 2009; Njau et al., 2014; PROTA, 2016).

Environmental Services

R. caffra is often planted as a shade tree in coffee plantations, and is an important species in bee keeping due to its multitude of flowers (PROTA, 2016). Leaves are browsed by nyala antelopes, and the leaves, flowers and fruit are eaten by vervet monkeys (Orwa et al., 2009).