Shrubs or small trees 0.5-5 m tall, glabrous. Petiole 3-10 mm; leaf blade elliptic or narrowly so, 3-18 X 1-6 cm, apex acuminate; lateral veins 5-17 pairs. Cymes dichotomous, 1-8-flowered; bracts scalelike. Flower buds with an ovoid head, apex acute or obtuse. Calyx lobes often ciliate. Corolla white, tube 1.5-2.7 cm; lobes simple or double, obovate or broadly so, 1.5-2.7 X 0.8-2 cm. Stamens inserted at basal third of corolla tube. Follicles obliquely and narrowly ellipsoid.

Kills worms (root powder); alleviates spasms and stimulates the cardiovascular system (leaf); anticancer (plant).

Floridata

Tabernaemonitanine (leaf and stem); coronaridine (leaf, stem and its bark and root bark); vocangine (stem bark and leaf).

As a vermicide and in diarrhea (root powder); eye pressure and corneal inflammation (latex); to treat hypertension, headache, and scabies (roots); as an aphrodisiac, and has a reputation of making women more fertile (bark); ophthalmia (juice from the flowers); to alleviate stomach and rheumatic pains, as well as diarrhoea (decoctions of the bark).

Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.