Angostura trifoliata
(Willd.) T.S.Elias
Rutaceae
Angostura cuspare Roem. & Schult.
Bonnetia trifoliata Walp.
Bonplandia angostura Rich.
Bonplandia angostura Spreng.
Bonplandia candolleana Spreng.
Bonplandia cuneifolia Spreng.
Bonplandia trifoliata Willd.
Cusparia angostura (Rich.) A.Lyons
Cusparia febrifuga Humb. ex DC.
Cusparia officinalis Engl.
Cusparia trifoliata (Willd.) Engl.
Galipea corymbosa Spreng.
Galipea cusparia A.St.-Hil. ex DC.
Galipea febrifuga Baill.
Galipea officinalis J.Hancock
Galipea trifoliate (Willd.) H.Karst.
Portenschlagia trifoliata Pohl ex Engl.
Sciuris officinalis Oken
Common Name: Angostura
General Information
Angostura is an evergreen tree growing 18 - 24 metres tall[
460- Title
- Flora Medica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Lindley J.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
- Publisher
- Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans: London
- Year
- 1838
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A massive work - many of the botanical names have changed, but the book is still a wealth of information.
].
The bark is a very popular treatment for fevers in S. America, where it is said to rival quinine in its effectiveness. It also used to be the basis of a well-known bitter tonic, Angustura bitters, though gentian root is now used in its place.
Known Hazards
The bark is bruised and used to intoxicate fish.
Botanical References
Range
S. America - Brazil, Venezuela.
Habitat
Forests[
460- Title
- Flora Medica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Lindley J.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
- Publisher
- Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans: London
- Year
- 1838
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A massive work - many of the botanical names have changed, but the book is still a wealth of information.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Tree |
| Height | 20.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Not known
Edible Uses
An extract of the bark is used to flavour various foods including bitter tonics, baked goods, candy, ice cream etc[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
The bark is the original flavouring for 'Angostura Bitters', which is now made using bitter orange peel, gentian and other herbs and spices[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
Medicinal
The greyish yellow, resinous, brittle bark is acrid, antidysenteric, bitter, digestive, febrifuge, stimulant and tonic[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
461- Title
- Diccionario das Plantas Uteis do Brasil
- Publication
-
- Author
- Correa M.P.
- Publisher
- Imprensa Nacional; Rio de Janeiro
- Year
- 1926
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A massive work in 6 volumes giving details of the various uses of Brazilian plants.
,
526- Title
- An Illustrated Dictionary of Medicine, Biology and Allied Sciences.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gould G.M.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- P. Blakiston's Son & Co.; Philadelphia.
- Year
- 1907
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A major work at the time, though very dated now. Contains quite a lot of information about medicinal plant uses.
]. In large doses it is emetic[
526- Title
- An Illustrated Dictionary of Medicine, Biology and Allied Sciences.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gould G.M.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- P. Blakiston's Son & Co.; Philadelphia.
- Year
- 1907
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A major work at the time, though very dated now. Contains quite a lot of information about medicinal plant uses.
]. The plant has a high reputation as a febrifuge, rivalling that of quinine (Cinchona spp.). It is considered an excellent treatment for intermittent fevers and is much used in treating yellow fever[
461- Title
- Diccionario das Plantas Uteis do Brasil
- Publication
-
- Author
- Correa M.P.
- Publisher
- Imprensa Nacional; Rio de Janeiro
- Year
- 1926
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A massive work in 6 volumes giving details of the various uses of Brazilian plants.
]. Some caution is advised, however, because the bark can be easily confused with the very poisonous bark of Strychnos nux-vomica[
461- Title
- Diccionario das Plantas Uteis do Brasil
- Publication
-
- Author
- Correa M.P.
- Publisher
- Imprensa Nacional; Rio de Janeiro
- Year
- 1926
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A massive work in 6 volumes giving details of the various uses of Brazilian plants.
].
The bark contains several active compounds including an essential oil and the alkaloids cusparine and galipine. These alkaloids have been shown to have antispasmodic activity.
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
