| 释义 |
alstonia, n. Bot.|ælˈstəʊnɪə|
[mod.L. (R. Brown 1809, in Mem. Wernerian Nat. Hist. Soc. (1811) I. 75), f. the name of C. Alston (1683–1760), Scottish botanist and physician: see -ia1.]
A plant of the genus Alstonia (family Apocynaceae), comprising trees and shrubs chiefly of S.E. Asia and the Pacific Islands, which have a milky sap and some of which yield a soft, light timber. Cf. devil-tree s.v. devil n. 24.
1852G. W. Johnson Cottage Gardeners' Dict. 28/1 The leaves of alstonia are slightly astringent, and are used as tea. 1950Metcalfe & Chalk Anat. of Dicotyledons II. 916 It is, however, difficult to obtain long lengths of..Alstonia free from the ‘latex traces’ described above. 1980T. H. Everett N.Y. Bot. Garden Illustr. Encycl. Hort. I. 129 Alstonias are evergreen or deciduous and have milky sap and undivided leaves. |