Classification
Kingdom: Plantae (2611)
Phylum: Tracheophyta (2511)
Class: Magnoliopsida (2123)
Order: Gentianales (110)
Family: Apocynaceae (36)(family description)
Genus: Rauvolfia (2)
Epithet: caffra Sond. (1)
Synonyms: Rauvolfia goetzei Stapf, Rauvolfia gonioclada K.Schum. ex Stapf, Rauvolfia inebrians K.Schum., Rauvolfia leucopoda K.Schum. ex Stapf, Rauvolfia mayombensis Pellegr., Rauvolfia natalensis Sond., Rauvolfia obliquinervis Stapf, Rauvolfia ochrosioides K.Schum., Rauvolfia oxyphylla Stapf, Rauvolfia tchibangensis Pellegr., Rauvolfia welwitschii Stapf
caffra => of South African origin
gonioclada => angle-stemmed
inebrians => intoxicate
natalensis => from Natal, South Africa
welwitschii => honors Friedrich Martin Josef Welwitsch (1806-1872), an Austrian explorer and botanist working in of Portuguese Africa