Fabaceae FAMILY

Piscidia piscipula

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

The plant is toxic - overdose symptoms include numbness, tremors, salivation, and sweating. The bark and the leaves are used as a fish poison[ 331 Title Flora of Guatemala Publication Author Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Year 1946 - 1976 ISBN Description A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/ ].

Botanical Description

Jamaica dogwood is a large, deciduous shrub or tree growing up to 15 metres tall[ 331 Title Flora of Guatemala Publication Author Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Year 1946 - 1976 ISBN Description A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/ ]. The tree is gathered from the wild and used locally as a medicine and source of timber. The root bark is also sometimes exported for medicinal use.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeCentral America - Belize and Guatemala, through the West Indies to Florida in S.E. USA.

HabitatLowland forest or thickets, at elevations below 300 metres in Guatemala[ 331 Title Flora of Guatemala Publication Author Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Year 1946 - 1976 ISBN Description A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/ ]. Mostly in rather arid areas on sandy or gravelly soils, or in woodland on limestone in Jamaica[ 426 Title Flowering Plants of Jamaica Publication Author Adams. C.D. Publisher University of the West Indies; Jamaica. Year 1972 ISBN Description A terse treatment of the flowering plants of Jamaica, with a botanical description of each plant, notes on habitat etc. ].