Bitterroot Restoration

Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae

Common name: Malatilata, Ghantaphul, Kalkephul(Beng.), Campanilla,Yellow Bell, Golden Trumpet or Buttercup Flower(Eng.).
Edible Parts: Leaves, Root, Flower
Life cycle: perennial
Native Range: Native to South and Central America
Habitat:Allamanda grow along riverbanks and other open, sunny areas with adequate rainfall and perpetually moist substrate. The plants do not tolerate shade, salty or alkaline soils; they are highly sensitive to frost.

Their year-round production of large, bright flowers have made the Allamanda cathartica popular ornamentals. A woody, evergreen shrub with vigorous growth, Allamanda may reach a free-standing height of 2 metres or more. The leathery leaves are lancelike, pointed, and may either be opposite or in whorls of three or four. The yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers are 5-7.5 centimetres in diameter; cultivated forms tend towards larger blooms which may also be white, purple, pink or orange in colour.

Allamanda cathartica is also notable for its medicinal properties: all parts of the plant contain allamandin, a toxic iridoid lactone. The leaves, roots and flowers may be used in the preparation of a powerful cathartic (hence the name); the milky sap is also known to possess antibacterial and possibly anticancer properties.