Apocynaceae is a family of
flowering plants that includes
trees,
shrubs,
herbs,
stem succulents, and
vines, commonly called the dogbane family, after the American plant known as dogbane,
Apocynum cannabinum. Members of the family are native to
European,
Asian,
African,
Australian, and
American tropics or
subtropics, with some temperate members. The family Asclepiadaceae (now known as
Asclepiadoideae) is considered a subfamily of Apocynaceae and contains 348 genera.