Leguminosae-pap Piscidia carthagenensis Jacq.

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Keywords in this picture :

• Foliage
• Fruit
• Vegetative
• Flower & fruit
• Leaf
• Plant parts

Places where this species can be found :

• Levera National Park - GRENADA
• River Sallee - GRENADA
• Forty Jeudy peninsular - GRENADA
• Guadalupe Victoria - HUGHESFRP
• Bogles - GRENADA
• Chiquimula - HUGHESFRP
• Chiapas - HUGHESFRP
• Santa Ana - HUGHESFRP

Species information

Interest
Piscidia - from L piscis, fish, and caedo, slaughter, kill; allusion to its use as a fish-poison. The related species P.piscipula has a bark used as a narcotic and fish or arrow poison, used to relieve toothache and curing dog mange. Burkill (1935) records how Crushed leaves and bark thrown into water is used to stupefy fish, which then float to the surface, and note other species can be used as opium substitutes.

Specimen information

Collection Date
29/11/1999

Collector
W.D. Hawthorne, C. Hughes

Specimen Number
284

Location
Levera National Park, sheltered slope immediately E of Levera Pond, between Levera Pond and the rd to Levera beach, about 500m N of visitor centre.

Notes
Small to medium-sized tree 6-12m ht. Outer bark smooth grey-green with vertical lines of pale grey-brown lenticels. Slash smelling of old cow sheds with a yellowish outer layer, very coarsely fibrous turning chocolate brown after two minutes exposure. Leaves: slightly rubbery but paper thin; rachis not or very slightly grooved; petiolules elevated above rachis; small ?gland between leaflet pairs; upper surface - marginal nerve yellow, midrib flat or slightly impressed, laterals impressed, with pits; lower surface - laterals fused to margin, slightly glaucous, midrib yellow-green, tertiary venation visible with a hand lens. Apparently rare, only two individuals noted. (RHS colour code: Leaf upper =137A, below=147B)

Coordinates
Latitude: 12.130000 N   Longitude: 61.360000 W   Altitude: 10