Alstonia

Al·sto·nia

noun \ȯl-ˈstō-nē-ə\

Definition of ALSTONIA

: a genus of trees or shrubs (family Apocynaceae) found in tropical Asia, Australia, and Polynesia having white funnel-shaped flowers and including several (especially A. constricta) whose bark has been used medicinally for its antiperiodic and antipyretic properties (as in the treatment of malaria)

Biographical Note for ALSTONIA

Al·ston \ˈȯl-stən\ , Charles (1683–1760), British physician and botanist. Alston was a lecturer in botany and materia medica at the University of Edinburgh. He was noted for being a staunch opponent of the Linnaean system of classification. The genus Alstonia was named in his honor in 1810.