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Taxon:  Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz



Summary
Genus:
Rauvolfia
Family:
Apocynaceae
Subfamily:
Rauvolfioideae
Tribe:
Vinceae
Nomen number:
30895
Place of publication:
Forest fl. Burma 2:171. 1877
Verified:
01/23/2012 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
0 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System. 
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Ophioxylon serpentinum L.

No images


Conservation Status
  • CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices I, II and III (on-line resource).
Reference(s)
  1. Backer, C. A. & R. C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Jr. Flora of Java. 1963-1968
  2. Blumenthal, M., ed. The complete German Commission E monographs: therapeutic guide to herbal medicines. 1998
  3. CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices I, II and III (on-line resource).
  4. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. 1980-
  5. Duke, J. A. et al. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. 2002
  6. Encke, F. et al. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage. 1984
  7. Erhardt, W. et al. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen. 2008
  8. Farnsworth, N. R. & D. D. Soejarto. Global importance of medicinal plants (unpublished draft manuscript rev. 23, 1988)
  9. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  10. Fosberg, F. R. et al. Geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae/ Pteridophyta and Gymnospermae. 1979-1982
  11. Grellin, J. K. & J. Philpott. A reference guide to medicinal plants. 1990
  12. Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim. 1984-
  13. Hara, H. et al. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal. 1978-1982
  14. Hendrian & D. J. Middleton. 1999. Revision of Rauvolfia (Apocynaceae) in Malesia. Blumea 44:460-462.
  15. Janick, J. & J. Simon, eds. Advances in new crops. 1990
  16. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. Hortus third. 1976
  17. Matthew, K. M. The flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic. 1983
  18. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
  19. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
  20. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. Flora of [West] Pakistan. 1970-
  21. Padua, L. S. de et al., eds. 1999. Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). 1989- 12(1):430.
  22. Parrotta, J. A. Healing plants of peninsular India. 2001
  23. Smitinand, T. & K. Larsen, eds. Flora of Thailand. 1970-
  24. Steenis, C. G. G. J. van, ed. Flora malesiana. 1948-
  25. Tirtha, SadaShiva. The Ayurveda encyclopedia: Natural secrets to healing, prevention, and longevity. 1998
  26. Van Wyk, B.-E. & M. Wink. Medicinal plants of the world. 2004
  27. Walker, E. Flora of Okinawa and the southern Ryukyu Islands. 1976
  28. Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. World economic plants: a standard reference (on-line edition) [medicinal plants only].
  29. Woodson, R. E., Jr. et al. 1957. Rauwolfia: botany, pharmacognosy, chemistry and pharmacology.
  30. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. Flora of China (English edition). 1994-
  31. Webster's third new international dictionary. 1961
Common names
English
ajmaline –
Java devil-pepper –
rauwolfia –
serpentine-wood –
snakewood –
German
Java-Teufelspfeffer –
Transcribed Chinese
she gen mu –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaYunnan 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentBhutan  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentNepal  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentSri Lanka  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaCambodia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaLaos  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaMyanmar  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaThailand  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaVietnam  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesiaJava 
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesiaLesser Sunda Islands 
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateCaucasusGeorgia  
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateChinaChina  
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentNepal  
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan  
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaVietnam  
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesiaJava 
Native
Asia-Temperate
  • CHINA: China [Yunnan]
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal
  • INDO-CHINA: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
  • MALESIA: Indonesia [Java, Lesser Sunda Islands]
Cultivated
Asia-Temperate
  • CAUCASUS: Georgia
  • CHINA: China
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India, Nepal, Pakistan
  • INDO-CHINA: Vietnam
  • MALESIA: Indonesia [Java]
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Medicinessource of ajmalicine, rescinnamine, & reserpine Farnsworth, N. R. & D. D. Soejarto. Global importance of medicinal plants (unpublished draft manuscript rev. 23, 1988)
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://ausgenebank.agriculture.vic.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=30895. Accessed 18 December 2025.

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