Haematoxylum brasiletto

Description

H. brasiletto is a small tree or large thorny shrub, seven to fifteen metres high. The trunk and larger branches are fluted and the heartwood is deep red. The tree has pinnate leaves with three pairs of heart-shaped leaflets and no terminal leaflet. The clusters of yellow flowers are typical of the Caesalpinioideae, with five distinct lobes, and are followed by copper-coloured seed pods that split laterally when ripe, rather than at the edge. The seeds are black and kidney-shaped.

Distribution and habitat

H. brasiletto occurs in Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Colombia. It is found growing in desert scrub in Baja California in association with elephant trees (Bursera microphylla), the woodrose (Merremia aurea) and the large Cardón cactus (Pachycereus pringlei).

Uses

The wood of this tree is used in the making of bows for stringed instruments. The tree yields other valuable products and has been exported for several centuries. It was included in the London Pharmacopoeia of 1740, which listed logwood tea as being effective against tuberculosis and dysentery. An extract of boiled heartwood chips is reported to have antibiotic properties, to reduce fever, and to act as a tonic to strengthen the body.

References

References

1. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. (2019). "''Haematoxylum brasiletto''".
2. [http://www.eol.org/pages/639844 Haematoxylum brasiletto H. Karst.] Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
3. {{GRIN
4. [http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph4.htm Logwood and Brazilwood: Trees That Spawned 2 Nations] {{Webarchive. link. (2011-08-06 Retrieved 2011-08-21.)
5. link. (2016-03-04 Biblioteca digital de la Medicina Tradicional Mexicana. Retrieved 2011-08-21)
6. [http://www.wangbow.com/shop/ipe-carbon-fiber-pernambuco-ebony-fiberglass-ezp-22.html WangBow.] {{Webarchive. link. (2014-09-11 Retrieved 2011-08-21.)
7. The heartwood is used to produce dye for wool and cotton cloth and a pink colouring used in pharmaceuticals and toothpaste. The pigments [[hematoxylin]] and [[hematein]] can be extracted and are complex phenols similar to [[bioflavonoid]]s. Extracts of hardwood chips are used as remedies by the [[Tarahumara people. Ethnobotanical]] uses mentioned in "Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases" includes use as an [[astringent]], a [[dentifrice]], a refrigerant, for treating [[Condyloma acuminata. condyloma]], [[erysipelas]], [[fever]], [[jaundice]], [[inflammation]] and stomach pain.[https://phytochem.nal.usda.gov/phytochem/ethnoPlants/show/3057 Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases] {{Webarchive. link. (2018-01-21 Retrieved 2011-08-21.)