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Sassywood
Sassywood is a form of trial by ordeal still in use in Liberia. There are various types of ordeal. The principal one involves the drinking of a poisonous concoction made of the bark of the ''Erythrophleum suaveolens'' tree. Another involves the rubbing of a red-hot machete on the legs of the suspect, while a third involves dipping the suspect's hand into hot oil. The practice has a long tradition in Liberia. A Reverend Mr. Connelly described it in some detail in "My Report of the Kroo people" in the 1850 book ''The ... Annual Report of the American Colonization Society ...'': The bark of the sassy-wood is powerfully narcotic, and a strong decoction of this the person is forced to drink ... he either throws off from his stomach the poison, when he is pronounced innocent, or it operates as a cathartic, when he is declared guilty, and compelled to take more of the decoction, and is subjected to other cruelties, which cause his speedy death. ... The ordeal of sassy-wood is therefore ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erythrophleum Suaveolens
''Erythrophleum suaveolens'', also known as the ordeal tree, is a species of flowering plant that can be found across most of tropical Africa. The species are in height, and have a rough and blackish bark. The plants leaves have 2–3 pairs of pinnae, which carry 7–13 leaflets. The leaflets are , are green coloured and ovate. The flowers have fluffy spikes, and are creamy-yellow coloured. Fruits are hard, the pod of which is flat. The bark of the tree has been used in Liberia to make a toxic concoction used for a form of trial by ordeal called "sassywood Sassywood is a form of trial by ordeal still in use in Liberia. There are various types of ordeal. The principal one involves the drinking of a poisonous concoction made of the bark of the '' Erythrophleum suaveolens'' tree. Another involves the ru ...". This use has given it the common name of the "Ordeal Tree". References External links suaveolens Plants described in 1832 Flora of Africa {{Caesalpinioideae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
