Fabaceae
Piscidia

Piscidia piscipula (L.) Sarg.

First published in Gard. & Forest 4: 436 (1891)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mexico to Central America, Florida to Caribbean. It is a tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Tree
Vernacular
Bois Ivrant, Borrego, Borrego De Cerro, Borrego Prieto, Chichol, Chijol, Dogwood, Fish Fuddle Tree, Fish Poison, Fish Poison Tree, Guama, Guama Candelon, Haabin, Habim, Habin, Jabin, Jamaica Dogwood, May Bush, Maytree Of The Creoles
[ILDIS]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/156770819/156770821

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular
DOGWOOD
Morphology General Habit
A small tree usually 6–10 m tall; leaflets elliptic-oblong or obovate, 5–10 cm long, shortly acuminate at the apex, glabrous above, finely pubescent beneath
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicles 8–20 cm long, somewhat dense with numerous flowers; pedicels 2–7 mm long; calyx 6–7 mm long, greyish-strigillose; corolla whitish or pale pink; standard ca. 1.5 cm long, about equalled by the wings and keel
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 2–8 cm long, the body 4–5 mm wide, much exceeded in width by the wings; wings thin, glabrate, pale green, undulate or ruffled.
Distribution
Grand Cayman. Florida, West Indies, and continental tropical America.
Ecology
Occasional or frequent in dry woodlands.
[Cayman]

Uses

Use
Toxins, Wood
[ILDIS]

Use
The wood of this species is hard, heavy, strong and durable; it is difficult to work but takes a high polish. The bark, especially of the roots, is well-known for its narcotic and poisonous properties. In some places, people apply this material locally to relieve toothache, and in Jamaica it is said to be used occasionally for curing mange in dogs. If the bark and leaves are crushed and thrown into water, most nearby fish will soon become stupefied and will float on the surface.
[Cayman]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0