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Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco
Apocynaceae FAMILY

Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco

Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

Excessive doses can be toxic[1]. The freshly cut wood and sap of Aspidosperma species causes irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, with general malaise[2]. The sawdust, on contact with abraded skin, produces local burning and a vesicular eruption with general symptoms of muscular weakness and cramps, sweating, dryness of the mouth, and faintness[2]. Once the wood is thoroughly dry it loses its toxicity unless polishes or dyes in organic solvents are used on it[2]

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

Plants prefer a minimum temperature that does not fall below 15°c[3]. Prefers a well-drained, sandy soil in a sunny position[3]. Found in the wild on saline soils and chalky-clays[4].

Propagation

Seed - it has a very short viability and so is best sown as soon as ripe[3, 4]. Sow the seed in a nursery seedbed in a lightly shaded position. A germination rate in excess of 70% can be expected, with the seeds sprouting within a few days[4]. Pot the seedlings up into individual containers when they are 4 - 6cm tall[4]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Aspidosperma+quebracho-blanco>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants — Chevallier. A. · Dorling Kindersley. London · 1996 · ISBN 9-780751-303148 ↩︎An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
  2. [2]BoDD (Botanical Dermatology Database) — http://bodd.cf.ac.uk/ ↩︎Brief notes on a very wide range of plants that have reports of causing harm to the skin.
  3. [3]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  4. [4]Brazilian Trees. Volume 2. 4th Edition. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2002 · ISBN 85-86714-15-1 ↩︎Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
  5. [5]Technical Information on 134 Species of Bolivian Woods — USDA Forest Service -- Forest Products Lab · USDA Forest Service · http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/publications/ ↩︎A PDF file, available for download. Exactly what the title says, brief and to the point.
  6. [6]Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 38 — Missouri Botanical Garden · 1951 ↩︎An excellent botanical publication, available for download from the Internet. This volume contains part of the Flora of Panama and a revision of the genus Aspidosperma, amongst other things.
  7. [7]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.