''Ptaeroxylon obliquum'' is the botanical name for the sneezewood tree. It is native to

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...

, including

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

, and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. It is the only species in the genus ''Ptaeroxylon''.

Background

''Ptaeroxylon obliquum'' is a species from the family Rutaceae which are most abundant in South Africa and Australia. The term ''ptaeroxylon'' is Greek for sneeze and wood, while ''obliquum'' denotes the oblique shape of the leaflets. The wood produces oils containing nieshoutol, which causes violent

sneeze A sneeze (also known as sternutation) is a semi-autonomous, convulsive expulsion of air from the lungs through the nose and mouth, usually caused by foreign particles irritating the nasal mucosa. A sneeze expels air forcibly from the mouth and ...

attacks by workers who are exposed to the tree. Though sneezewood is not

poisonous Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

, it has been known to cause respiratory complications. It has been linked to

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

rhinitis Rhinitis, also known as coryza, is irritation and inflammation of the mucous membrane inside the nose. Common symptoms are a stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing, and post-nasal drip. The inflammation is caused by viruses, bacteria, irrita ...

and mucosal inflammation.

Description

left, 200px, foliage left, 200px, male flowers ''Ptaeroxylon obliquum'' is a shrub or medium deciduous tree that stands up to tall. The bark is whitish-grey and smooth when young, but fissured with age. Leaflets are 2.5 x 1.3 cm marked asymmetrically. They are blue-green to dark green in color and crowd near the ends of the rachis in three to seven pairs of leaflets. The flowers on the tree are white to creamy yellow and fragrant. Sneezewood is very dense having a

specific gravity Relative density, or specific gravity, is the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for liquids is nearly always measured with respect to water at its densest ...

of 1040 kg/m³

Uses

Lumber

Sneezewood is an extremely hard and durable

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

wood. It often lasts longer than

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

when used for machine bearings. In the past, sneezewood was used extensively for railway sleepers. It can also be used to make furniture. In

it is used to make

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...

keys. Sneezewood is a very attractive wood with golden

heartwood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

with light orange figures and is a favorite amongst woodturners. Its scarcity today is due in part of its past use as fuel for steam tugs. It has been used extensively for

fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length. ...

and

telegraph pole A utility pole is a column or post typically made out of wood used to support overhead power lines and various other public utilities, such as electrical cable, fiber optic cable, and related equipment such as transformers and street lights. It c ...

s as well.

Medicinal

Sneezewood is used for medicinal and ritual purposes. The bark can be used to repel moths or as snuff. The resin has been used to get rid of warts and cattle ticks. The

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

have traditionally made

snuff Snuff may refer to: Tobacco * Snuff (tobacco), fine-ground tobacco, sniffed into the nose ** Moist snuff or dipping tobacco ** Creamy snuff, an Indian tobacco paste Media and entertainment * Snuff film, a type of film that shows a murder Literat ...

from sneeze-wood to relieve

headaches Headache is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches. Headaches can occur as a result ...

References

"Rue." ''Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition'' (2009): 1. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. Anderson M.D., Mark. "Toxic Woods and Occupational Lung Diseases." ''Fine Art Photography''. Riparia, 1 May 2000. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. Roux, Dr. J.P. "Ptaeroxylon Obliquum." ''Aluka'', 2003. Web. 03 Ma ..2010. "Ptaeroxylon Oblique", ''Flora of Zimbabwe''. Zimbabwe flora, 14 Feb. 2009. Web. 11 Mar 2010. Peter Schirmer, The Concise Illustrated South African Encyclopedia 1980, Central News Agency Ltd, {{Taxonbar, from1=Q311852, from2=Q15930617 Cneoroideae Monotypic Rutaceae genera Flora of Southern Africa Flora of South Africa Flora of Zimbabwe Flora of Mozambique Trees of Africa Wood

Background

Description

Uses

Lumber

Medicinal

See also

References