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

Various parts of Strychnos plants, especially the seeds and bark, contain toxic alkaloids such as strychnine and brucine. The fleshy pulp of the ripe fruits, however, is often edible[].
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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