- Family : LOGANIACEAE
(LOGANIA FAMILY)
- Family (as per The Plant List) : Loganiaceae
- Species : Strychnos nux-vomica
- Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Strychnos nux-vomica L.
- Common name : Poison nut tree, Quaker Button, Nux-vomica Tree, Snakewood Tree, Strychnine Tree
- Vernacular name : Kuchala, Kajara (Hin.); Kasarkana mara, Kaasarka (Kan.); Yettimaram, Kanjaram, Yetti, Kancharam (Tam.); Mushti, Mushini, Visha mushti, Pedda mushti (Tel.); Kochiala, Kora, Kochaila khai, Kosila (Ori.); Karaskara (San.)
- Key identification features : A medium-sized evergreen or deciduous tree, with thin, smooth, yellowish-grey bark, often covered with tubercles. Leaves are coriaceous, elliptic, ovate, orbicular, base is rounded, 5-nerved, transverse nerves are irregular, inconspicous. Flowers are greenish-white, fragrant and in terminal compound cymes. Fruit is globose, thick shelled, slightly rough, but shining ovoid. Seeds are numerous, discoid, much compressed, ashy-grey with silky hairs.
- Habit : Tree
- Flower, Fruit : March-August; August-January
- Comments : Common in deciduous forests of all hill ranges up to 1400 m, often undisturbed near habitations or by arable lands. Seeds are poisonous, often used for the extraction of alkaloids, Strychnine and Brucine.
- Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
- Distribution Locality : Throughout Eastern Ghats
- World Distribution : India, Sri Lanka, Indo-China, Myanmar, Siam, Malesia
- Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2011 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 4; J.L.Ellis, 1990- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 2; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2 ; R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District ; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipal, Orissa; N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka; Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.
- Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Strychnos nux-vomica. Downloaded on 29 June 2024.
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