''Lonchocarpus urucu'', or barbasco, is plant in the family

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

. It is native to the tropical forests of

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, as well as of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, growing from above sea level. It was also recorded in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. Cubé resin, the root extract from Barbasco and from cubé (''

Lonchocarpus utilis ''Deguelia utilis'', syn. ''Lonchocarpus utilis'' (cubé, (common) lancepod or barbasco) is plant species in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the tropical forests of Peru, as well as of Brazil and Guyana, growing from above sea level. Cu ...

''), is used as a commercial

insecticide Insecticides are substances used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and by consumers. Insecticides are claimed to b ...

and piscicide (fish poison). The major active ingredients are

rotenone Rotenone is an odorless, colorless, crystalline isoflavone used as a broad-spectrum insecticide, piscicide, and pesticide. It occurs naturally in the seeds and stems of several plants, such as the jicama vine plant, and the roots of several member ...

and

deguelin Deguelin is a derivative of rotenone. Both are compounds classified as rotenoids of the flavonoid family and are naturally occurring insecticides. They can be produced by extraction from several plant species belonging to three genera of the leg ...

. Although "organic" (produced by nature),

is no longer considered an environmentally safe chemical.

Taxonomic status

The taxonomic status as a species with the name Lonchocarpus urucu ist still to be resolved, as it is also considered a variety of Deguelia rufescens: ''Deguelia rufescens var. urucu'' (Killip & A.C.Sm.) A.M.G.Azeved.

Toxicity

Barbasco is toxic to insects, fish, and other pests. The primary threat to humans and other mammals comes from inhaling the powdered root or root extract. It has been used by the

Shuar people The Shuar are an Indigenous people of Ecuador and Peru. They are members of the Jivaroan peoples, who are Amazonian tribes living at the headwaters of the Marañón River. Name Shuar, in the Shuar language, means "people". The people who speak ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

and the

Nukak people The Nukak people (also Nukak- Makú) live between the Guaviare and Inírida rivers, in the depths of the tropical humid forest, on the fringe of the Amazon basin, in Guaviare Department, Republic of Colombia. They are nomadic hunter-gatherers ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

as a poison for fishing.

References

*
Zipcode Zoo - Barbasco

urucu ''Bixa'' is a genus of plants in the family Bixaceae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, and South America, and naturalized in other places.Molina Rosito, A. 1975. Enumeración de las plantas de Honduras. Ceiba 19(1): 1–118. ...

Flora of Brazil Flora of Guyana Flora of Peru {{Millettieae-stub