Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

Be Still Tree

Rauvolfia tetraphylla

Spanish: Chalchupa

Be Still Tree (Rauvolfia tetraphylla)
Photographed by zihuadean on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

Rauvolfia tetraphylla is a plant in the Apocynaceae family, growing as a bush or small tree. It is commonly known as the be still tree or devil-pepper. The plant is native to Mexico, Central America, West Indies, and northern South America. It has been cultivated widely as both an ornamental and as a source of pharmaceuticals and is now naturalised throughout the tropics including Australasia, Indochina and India.

TaxonomyMagnoliopsida › Gentianales › Apocynaceae
Local records38 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records2,875 on iNaturalist
Most recent records2025 – 2026
Months of the 8 most recent records
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Be Still Tree (Rauvolfia tetraphylla) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/rauvolfia-tetraphylla/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.