Rhamnaceae FAMILY
Karwinskia calderonii
Karwinskia calderonii
Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
0/5
Safety & Hazards
The fruit, or the seeds, are poisonous[1]. Pigs are sometimes killed by eating the fruit[1]. It is believed that the poisonous properties reside in the seeds which, if swallowed, cause paralysis, particularly of the lower limbs (in children), the paralysis spreading to other parts of the body and finally causing death[1]. The same results are produced in pigs and chickens[1]. No remedy is known for the poisonous effects, and the plant is, therefore, exceedingly dangerous[1].
Cultivation Details
HabitShrub
Growth—
Not known
Propagation
Seed - Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Karwinskia+calderonii>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
- [2]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.