''Piscidia piscipula'', commonly named Florida fishpoison tree, Jamaican dogwood, or fishfuddle, is a medium-sized, deciduous, tropical tree in the Fabaceae family. It is native to the Greater Antilles (except Puerto Rico), extreme southern Florida (primarily the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

) and the Bahamas, and the coastal region from Panama northward to the vicinity of Ocampo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The native Taino of the West Indies discovered that extracts from the tree could sedate fish, allowing them to be caught by hand. This practice led to the tree's common names—fishpoison and fishfuddle. The tree has medicinal value as an

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...

and sedative. The generic name is Latin for "fish killer", and the

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

is Latin for "little fish".Nellis, David N. 1994. Seashore plants of South Florida and the Caribbean: A guide to identification and propagation of xeriscape plants. Pineapple Press. 160 p.

Habitat

The Florida fishpoison tree grows in coastal zones. It prefers well-drained, sandy soils, with a top layer of humus.Institute for Regional Conservation: Jamaica-dogwood
/ref> The tree has some tolerance to short-term storm surges of brackish water or seawater. Although it grows in coastal conditions, the tree is usually protected from direct salt spray by adjoining vegetation. Established trees are highly tolerant of drought. Its sensitivity to the cold limits Florida fishpoison tree to areas no colder than plant hardiness zone 11.

Description

The Florida fishpoison tree attains medium size with heights of 12 to 15 m and bole diameters of 46 to 118 cm. An irregular, open crown develops with stout, erect branches. Its deciduous leaves (9 to 23 cm long) are alternate and

pinnately compound Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

. Five to 11 leaflets (each 4 to 8 cm long) are present in an opposite arrangement. Leaflets are dark green above and distinctly paler grayish-green below with pubescence. Its white flowers are tinged with red or pink. They appear in pea-like clusters in May and are attractive to bees. Trees potentially bloom when about 4 m tall and 4 years old. Flowers develop into a light brown, bean-like pod (8 to 10 cm long) with four papery wings. Ripening in July and August, the pods contain red-brown, beanlike seeds. Stem bark is thin and olive gray in color with irregular dark patches and many smaller scales. The bark has an unpleasant odor and a distinctly acrid and bitter taste, causing a burning sensation in the mouth. After removal from the ripe pod, seeds germinate in 8 to 10 days when sown about 6 mm deep in moist soil. Until seedlings become well established, they should be fertilized and watered. Cuttings placed in moist soil quickly sprout roots. In fact, rooting has been observed to occur so readily, posts made from fresh timber occasionally will take root unintentionally.

Ecology

The Florida fishpoison tree is a larval host plant for several butterfly species, including: the native cassius blue butterfly (''

Leptotes cassius ''Leptotes cassius'', the Cassius blue or tropical striped blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in North America in Florida including the Keys, Texas south through the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America to South America. ...

''), hammock skipper ('' Polygonus leo'') and the introduced fulvous hairstreak (''

Electrostrymon angelia ''Electrostrymon angelia'', the fulvous hairstreak, is a species of hairstreak in the butterfly family Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species ...

'').

Uses

Cultivation

In areas with a suitable climate and soils, Florida fishpoison tree makes a hardy, medium-sized shade tree with attractive seasonal flowers. It is ideal for yards and along fence rows. The species is shade intolerant, requiring full sunlight for maximum development.

Lumber

The yellow-brown wood of fishpoison tree is resistant to decay, making its timber suitable for outdoor usage, such as boat building, fence posts, and poles. The dense, tight-grained wood is also used as a

fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

, to make

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

, and as a good carving material.

Fishing

Indigenous peoples all over the world used local poisonous plants to aid in catching fish, and because of this many plants bear common names descriptive of this use. Within its natural range, the Taino and other native tribes used an extract from the bark, roots, twigs, and leaves of Florida fishpoison tree to sedate fish, making them easier to catch. A number of chemicals present in the tree's tissues are toxic to fish, the principal one being the well-known rotenone.

Herbal medicine

''P. piscipula'' can be toxic and should only be used under direction of a doctor.University of Maryland Medical Center. Jamaica dogwood.
/ref> Dosage must be individually determined. It has been used in

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

for treating nervous conditions, pain, and insomnia. Recent scientific studies in animals suggest that bark extracts may have potential for their anti-inflammatory,

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are CNS depressants and interact with brain activity causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives can be distinguished, but t ...

, and antispasmodic effects.

References

External links

Raintree Nutrition: ''Piscidia piscipula'' Pictures.Institute of Systematic Botany: Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants. ''Piscidia piscipula''.Interactive Distribution Map of ''Piscidia piscipula''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10968429 Millettieae Flora of the Caribbean Flora of Central America Flora of Mexico Flora of the Bahamas Flora of Florida Flora of Texas Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Garden plants of Central America Garden plants of North America Butterfly food plants