Poison Wood

Title

Poison Wood

Authors

Ethan H. Freid

Scientific Name

Metopium toxiferum (L.) Krug & Urb.

Description

Common Names

Poison Wood, Poison Tree

Anacardiaceae

Low shrub to large tree up to 15 meters in height and 40 cm wide. The bark is orange and brown and comes off in plates. The trunk and branches produce a black sap. The leaves are arranged alternately and luster at branch tips. The leaves are oddly pinnately compound producing 5-7 leaflets. The leaflets are ovate and up to 10 cm long. As the leaves age they develop black spots on them.

The flowers are dioecious and arranged in panicles. There are 5 unfused sepals in the calyx and five unfused greenish white petals in the corolla. In male flowers there are 5 functional unfused stamens. In female flowers the ovary is superior and produces a drupe that turns orange-yellow at maturity and is 1 cm in size.

Metopium toxiferum grows in Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Formations (Coppice): primarily in shrublands as well as in Pine Woodlands. In Pine Woodlands Metopium toxiferum can be the dominant understory shrub.

Distribution in Bahamas/Globally

Metopium toxiferum occurs on all islands in the Bahamian archipelago as well as Florida and the Greater Antilles

Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage

The species is well known for causing medical problems rather than solving them. The oils from Metopium toxiferum cause dermatitis ranging in severity from a red rash to intense blistering of the skin. A mixture of tea Metopium toxiferum leaves and twigs combined with bleach has been used to induce abortions but also has the tendency to kill the patient.

The fruits are an important part of the diet of many birds including the White Crown Pigeon and the Bahamian Parrot.