A large family well represented in West Africa, at least half of the genera containing species which are widespread throughout West Africa, many of these, in addition, in Gambia.

Introduced garden species give a useful introduction to the general appearance of members of this family. Allamanda spp., oleander (Nerium oleander), Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), frangipani (Plumeria spp.) and herald's trumpet (Beaumontia grandiflora) are all widely available.

Members of the family may be recognised by their opposite, simple, entire, generally exstipulate leaves (though often with interpetiolar ridges), possession of latex, and cymes of fragrant, gamopetalous 5-part flowers with contorted corolla lobes. The fruit is a berry of two carpels, two berries (of one carpel each), or a pair of follicles (or one by abortion) with plumed seeds. Most of the widespread species are climbers (some with branch tendrils) or under-storey trees in forest, a few only being open woodland savanna species.

Four genera diverge sufficiently from the ‘family pattern’ as to be recognisable on sight. The only species with spirally arranged leaves (and prominent leaf scars) is a fleshy stemmed deciduous shrub, Adenium obesum, found (and often planted) in the northern guinea and sudan zones of Nigeria.

Carissa edulis, in the same zone (Ghana–Nigeria) has branch spines, the only species in the family in West Africa to do so.