Common Name:

General Information

Strychnos nux-blanda is a tree that can grow up to 18 metres tall, but is more likely to be less than 12 metres. The bole can be up to 60cm in diameter[]. The tree can be evergreen in the moister parts of its range, but becomes deciduous in drier areas; at the higher elevations in its range it is likely to be no more than a shrub[, ].

Known Hazards

Unlike the closely related Strychnos nux-vomica, this species does not contain any appreciable quantity of toxic alkaloids in the seeds[].

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam.

Habitat

A lower storey tree in deciduous and semi-deciduous forests at elevations up to 1,200 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the tropics, where it grows mainly in areas with seasonal rainfall[]. It does not tolerate even light frosts[].
Plants are normally found growing in the shade of deciduous or semideciduous trees[].
The tree usually fruits well every year[].
During the first season the growth of the seedhng above ground is slow, development being confined to little or nothing more than the expansion of the large green leafy cotyledons : a long rather thick taproot of somewhat delicate texture is rapidly formed, and may reach a length of 20 - 22cm within a month of germination. During the second season the growth of the seedling is more rapid[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. The pulp is eaten, but not the seeds[]. The fruit is probably almost free of the poisonous alkaloids found in many plants in this genus[]. The fruit is a berry about the size of a small orange, with a rather hard coriaceous orange-coloured pericarp and a whitish pulp in which are a number of seeds[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The wood is used for making carts and agricultural implements and for fancy cabinet work[].

Propagation

Seed - sown fresh in a shaded position it normally germinates quickly and well. It quickly forms a taproot after germinating and so needs to be sown in deep, individual containers or in situ[].
In a test, 50% of seeds remained viable after 1 year in storage[].

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Captcha: if i have 3 bananas, and i eat them all, how many bananas did i just eat?