Common Name:

General Information

Strychnos pseudoquina is an evergreen tree with an elongate, dense crown; it can grow 4 - 9 metres tall. The cylindrical bole is usually crooked, around 20 - 35cm in diameter with a very thick and fractured bark[].
An ornamental small tree with sweetly-scented flowers, it has been recommended for landscaping[, ].

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[].

Botanical References

Range

S. America - central, eastern and northern Brazil.

Habitat

Primary and secondary open woodlands on savannahs, also as an isolated tree in pastures, often on gentle slopes and well drained soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	7.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a sunny position[]. Prefers a well-drained soil[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
Freshly planted young trees are usually slow to establish and grow away[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[, , ]. A sweet, fleshy pulp[, ]. The fruit is a globose berry about 2cm in diameter[].

Medicinal

All parts of the plant, except the fruit, are extremely bitter and rather astringent[]. Considered by some to be the best febrifuge growing in Brazil, the bark is widely used as a treatment for malaria and fevers in general[].

The bark is bitter, depurative, febrifuge and tonic[]. It is used in the treatment of splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, intermittent fever, malaria and gastric problems[]. It is also used to rid the body of intestinal worms, including Ascaris (roundworm), Oxyuris (threadworm) and Taenia (tapeworm)[].

The plant contains alkaloids and a number of methoxylated flavonoids such as isorhametine, strychnobiflavone, quinol, diaboline and 11-methoxydiabolin[].

Other Uses

The wood is moderately heavy, somewhat durable, of medium texture, medium resistance, hard to cut[]. The wood is usually only found in small dimensions, but is sometimes used for making light furniture, for lathe work, window frames and ornamental objects[].
The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed or in individual containers[]. Germination rates are normally low, with the seed sprouting within 3 - 4 weeks[].

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