rauwolfia

[ raw-wool-fee-uh, rou- ]

noun

1. any tropical tree or shrub of the genus Rauwolfia, as R. serpentina, of India.
2. an extract from the roots of the rauwolfia, R. serpentina, containing alkaloids the most important of which is reserpine: used in medicine chiefly for the treatment of hypertension and as a sedative.

rauwolfia

/ raʊ-; rɔːˈwʊlfɪə /

noun

1. any tropical tree or shrub of the apocynaceous genus Rauwolfia , esp R. serpentina of SE Asia
2. the powdered root of R. serpentina : a source of various drugs, esp reserpine

Word History and Origins

Origin of rauwolfia¹

1745–55; < New Latin, named after L. Rauwolf, 16th-century German botanist; -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of rauwolfia¹

C19: New Latin, named after Leonhard Rauwolf (died 1596), German botanist