Common Name: Lignum Vitae

General Information

Lignum vitae is a small, slow-growing, densely-crowned, evergreen tree growing to a height of 3 - 12 metres. The bole is generally crooked[, ].
An extremely valuable timber is obtained from the tree. The wood has also been an article of trade for medicinal purposes since 1508, when it was introduced, via Spain, to the medical profession of Europe as a specific for many of the most serious diseases of mankind[]. The name lignum-vitae (wood of life) originated from the supposition that the material was possessed of extraordinary remedial powers. So great was the demand that for a time the wood was sold for as much as 7 gold crowns a pound[]. Numerous learned treatises were published and served to establish the reputation of the wood so firmly that it was nearly 200 years before it was seriously questioned[]. Both wood and resin are now medicinally obsolete except in certain proprietary decoctions[]. The tree also has great ornamental value - beautiful blue flowers grow in great profusion and almost cover the tree and remain for a long time. As the older blooms fade from deep blue to paler shades, some becoming almost white, a striking variegation of colour is produced[].
The timber and medicinal resin have been traded for several centuries as lignum-vitae, and overexploitation has taken place throughout the species' range. Where it still occurs, populations are now severely reduced. Regeneration is good but growth is very slow. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Northern S. America - Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas to the Caribbean.

Habitat

Alluvial deposits near the coast[]. Dry and humid coastal woodland[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Endangered
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	10.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist, lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 100 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 28°c, but can tolerate 20 - 34°c[]. It can be killed by temperatures of 1°c or lower[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 500 - 3,000mm[].
Prefers a sunny position[]. Succeeds in a range of fertile, moisture-retentive soils[]. Tolerant of moderate levels of salt in the soil[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7.5, tolerating 4.5 - 8[]. Plants are very tolerant of salt-laden winds[]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[].
This species is the national tree of Jamaica, where it is widely planted as a street tree[].

Edible Uses

The resin obtained from the tree is used for flavouring cakes and chewing gum[]. It is also added to edible oils to prevent acidification[].

Medicinal

The wood is officinal in many Pharmacopoeias, and owes its medicinal properties to the presence of the resin, which is also official[].

Both resin and the wood possess stimulant, diaphoretic, and alterative properties, though the resin has a much stronger action[]. The resin is also regarded as an emmenagogue[].
It is a useful remedy in the treatment of chronic forms of rheumatism ; also in syphilitic and gouty affections, scrofula, skin diseases, dysmenorrhoea, and other uterine affections[].
The resin is applied to the tooth for treating a toothache, and also applied externally to bring relief in cases of rheumatism[].

Other Uses

The resin sometimes flows spontaneously from the stem of the tree; at other times, it is obtained artificially by jagging or notching the stem and allowing the exuding juice to harden, or by boring holes in logs of the wood and then placing them on a fire so that the resin is melted and runs through the hole, or by boiling chips in salt and water, when the resin floats on the surface of the water[]. The deep reddish brown colour of the resin changes upon oxidation to a blue or blue-green, a property made use of for differential staining[].

The wood is hard, close-grained, tough, dense, and durable. The heart wood is of a dark greenish-brown colour, owing to the deposition of guiacum resin ; the sap wood is pale-yellow[]. The wood is remarkable for the direction of its fibres, each layer of which crosses the previous diagonally[]. Its great strength and tenacity, combined with the self-lubricating properties due to the resin content, make this wood especially adapted for bearing underwater[]. The wood is used for pulleys, blocks, pestles, rulers, skittle ball etc[]. The most important as well as the most exacting use for it is for bearing or bushing blocks lining the stern tubes of propeller shafts of steamships[]. Steel and tube mills are made using lignum-vitae in increasing amounts to replace brass and babbit metal for bearings in roller mills and pumps, as the initial cost is less than metal, the life is several times longer, and lubrication is unnecessary[].

Propagation

Seed -

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