| Binomial |
Hura crepitans L. |
| Family |
Euphorbiaceae |
| Tamil Name |
காட்டு ஆமணக்கு/ முள்ள ரசணம் (Kaatu-aamanakku/ Mulla-rasanam) |
| Habit |
Small semi-deciduous tree with spreading branches |
| Bark |
Grey and trunk has dark conical spines |
| Flowers |
Monoecious, male red flowers with no petals borne on a spike inflorescence about 5 cm long, female reddish brown flowers are solitary and in leaf axils. |
| Fruits |
Pumpkin-shaped reddish-brown capsules, explode when ripe |
| Pollinators |
Bat |
| Native to Tropical America |
Before more modern forms of pens were invented, the trees' unripe seed capsules were sawn in half to make decorative pen sandboxes (also called pounce pots), hence the name 'sandbox tree'. The seeds and latex are highly poisonous due to the presence of crepitin. Fishermen have been said to use the milky, caustic sap from this tree to poison fish. The Caribs made arrow poison from its sap. The wood is used for furniture under the name "hura". The latex of the tree is acrid, producing redness and pustular eruptions on contact with the skin. It even causes blindness, if it gets into the eyes. It is used as a fish poison and sometimes also as an arrow poison. An infusion of the leaves is used as a body-rub for treating leprosy.
When ripe, pods catapult the seeds as far as 100 meters. It has also been known as the
Dynamite tree, so named for the explosive sound of the ripe fruit as it splits into segments. |
| Location on campus: |
https://maps.app.goo.gl/QRzSaVyR5F1tJBzd6 |
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