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Loganiaceae FAMILY

Spigelia anthelmia

Spigelia anthelmia

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

Although used medicinally, the plant is poisonous and has been used in criminal poisoning[ 46 Title Dictionary of Economic Plants. Publication Author Uphof. J. C. Th. Publisher Weinheim Year 1959 ISBN - Description 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. , 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. Effects of a medicinal overdose in humans include excitement, dizziness, delirium, dilation of the pupils, vomiting and convulsions[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. Ingestion of the plant may cause dimness of vision with dilated pupils, giddiness, spasms of eye and facial muscles, and convulsions; it can be fatal to children[ 348 Title Medicinal Plants of the Guianas Publication Author DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. Website http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html Publisher Smithsonian Museum Year 0 ISBN Description A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region ]. The fresh plant has been used as a rat poison[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. Fruiting plants, eaten in large quantities, are poisonous to cattle, causing death 2 - 3 hours after ingestion. However, the intake of sufficient other forage, may cancel out the toxic effects[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].

Botanical Description

West Indian pink is an annual plant growing 10 - 130cm tall from a cluster of shallow roots[ 72 Title Manual of the Southeastern Flora. Publication Author Small J.K. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher University of N. Carolina Press. Year 1933 ISBN Description Getting rather dated now, an immense work covering the flora of Southeastern N. America. No pictures, it is not for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the Internet. , 421 Title Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 54 Publication Author Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Year 1967 ISBN Description An excellent botanical publication, available for download from the Internet. This volume contains parts of the Flora of Panama. ]. The plant usually has an unbranched, single stem, though sometimes has a few, nearly leafless branches that flower at their tips[ 434 Title Flora of Peru Publication Author Macbride. J.F. Publisher Field Museum of Natural History Year 1936 ISBN Description An excellent attempt at a Flora of Peru, though it is clear that many of the plants were imperfectly known at that time and so information on them was sketchy. Available for download from the Internet. ]. The plant has a high reputation, especially in tropical America, for ridding the body of intestinal parasites, especially tapeworms[ 369 Title Flora of Costa Rica Publication Author Standley P.C. Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago Year 1938 ISBN Description Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet. ]. It is commonly gathered from the wild and is traded internationally[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical
Native RangeS. America - Brazil. Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas, north through the West Indies to Florida and through Central America to Mexico.
HabitatDamp thickets at elevations below 500 metres in Guatemala[ 331 Title Flora of Guatemala Publication Author Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Year 1946 - 1976 ISBN Description 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/ ]. Along roadsides, in waste places, arable land, gardens, rice fields and on riverbanks, at elevations from sea-level up to 600 metres in Africa[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].