Guaiacum
Also known as lignum vitae
Guaiacum (), sometimes spelled Guajacum, is a genus of flowering plants in the caltrop family Zygophyllaceae. It contains five species of slow-growing shrubs and trees, reaching a height of approximately but usually less than half of that. All are native to subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas and are commonly known as lignum-vitae, guayacán (Spanish), or gaïac (French). The genus name originated in Taíno, the language spoken by the native Taínos of the Bahamas; it was adopted into English in 1533, the first word in that language of American origin.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderZygophyllales
- FamilyZygophyllaceae
Native toAruba, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Florida, Guatemala
Observations recorded9,627
Common Name: thin sap
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Research
1,088 papers- Guaiacum Toxicity: An Unusal Poisoning.The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India · 2019
~5 min read
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Uses
- Species
- Formerly placed here
- References
- External links
Guaiacum (), sometimes spelled Guajacum, is a genus of flowering plants in the caltrop family Zygophyllaceae. It contains five species of slow-growing shrubs and trees, reaching a height of approximately but usually less than half of that. All are native to subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas and are commonly known as lignum-vitae, guayacán (Spanish), or gaïac (French). The genus name originated in Taíno, the language spoken by the native Taínos of the Bahamas; it was adopted into English in 1533, the first word in that language of American origin.
Members of the genus have a variety of uses, including as lumber, for medicinal purposes, and as ornamentals. The trade of all species of Guaiacum is controlled under CITES Appendix II.