Sandbox Tree
Encyclopedia
Hura crepitans the Sandbox tree, also known as Possumwood and Jabillo, is an evergreen tree of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae
), native to tropical regions of North
and South America
in Amazon Rainforest
. It is recognized by the many dark, pointed spines and smooth brown bark. These spines have caused it to be called Monkey no-climb.
Sandbox trees can grow to 60 metres (196.9 ft), and the large ovate leaves grow to two feet wide. They are monoecious. The red flower
s have no petals. Male flowers grow on long spikes; female flowers are solitary in axils. The fruit
is a large capsule with explosive dehiscence. One source states that ripe pods catapult the seeds as far as 100 metres (328.1 ft). Another source states that seeds are thrown as far as 45 metres (147.6 ft) from the tree, with a mode
at about 30 metres (98.4 ft). It has also been known as the Dynamite tree, so named for the explosive sound of the ripe fruit as it splits into segments.
This tree prefers wet soil, and partial shade or partial sun to full sun. It is often cultivated for shade.
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". Before more modern forms of pens were invented, the trees' unripe seed pods were sawed in half to make decorative pen sandboxes (also called pounce pots
), hence the name 'sandbox tree'.
Hura crepitans is an additive to some forms of the hallucinogenic drink Ayahuasca
.
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the Spurge family are a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti....
), native to tropical regions of North
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
in Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
. It is recognized by the many dark, pointed spines and smooth brown bark. These spines have caused it to be called Monkey no-climb.
Sandbox trees can grow to 60 metres (196.9 ft), and the large ovate leaves grow to two feet wide. They are monoecious. The red flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s have no petals. Male flowers grow on long spikes; female flowers are solitary in axils. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a large capsule with explosive dehiscence. One source states that ripe pods catapult the seeds as far as 100 metres (328.1 ft). Another source states that seeds are thrown as far as 45 metres (147.6 ft) from the tree, with a mode
Mode (statistics)
In statistics, the mode is the value that occurs most frequently in a data set or a probability distribution. In some fields, notably education, sample data are often called scores, and the sample mode is known as the modal score....
at about 30 metres (98.4 ft). It has also been known as the Dynamite tree, so named for the explosive sound of the ripe fruit as it splits into segments.
This tree prefers wet soil, and partial shade or partial sun to full sun. It is often cultivated for shade.
Fishermen have been said to use the milky, caustic sap
Sap
Sap may refer to:* Plant sap, the fluid transported in xylem cells or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant* Sap , a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia...
from this tree to poison fish. The Caribs made arrow poison from its sap.
The wood is used for furniture under the name "hura". Before more modern forms of pens were invented, the trees' unripe seed pods were sawed in half to make decorative pen sandboxes (also called pounce pots
Pounce (calligraphy)
Pounce is a fine powder that was sprinkled over wet ink to hasten drying prior to the invention of blotting paper. The powder was prepared from substances such as finely ground salt, sand, or powdered soft minerals such as talc or soapstone...
), hence the name 'sandbox tree'.
Hura crepitans is an additive to some forms of the hallucinogenic drink Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca is any of various psychoactive infusions or decoctions prepared from the Banisteriopsis spp. vine, usually mixed with the leaves of dimethyltryptamine-containing species of shrubs from the Psychotria genus...
.