Spondianthus preussii
Spondianthus preussii
Safety & Hazards
All parts of Spondianthus preussii are extremely poisonous[1]. Rice, meat or fish, cooked with the bark, bark sap or pulverized seeds, are widely used in baits to kill rodents and stray dogs[1]. The plant is considered too poisonous to use as arrow poison because the poison spreads too easily through the meat; however, in Côte d’Ivoire it has sometimes been used in hunting elephants[1]. Pulverized twig bark and seeds are added to drinks for criminal purposes[1]. The bark sap is also used as fish poison[1]. The poisonous leaves are particularly dangerous to cattle; the animals may die suddenly several hours later without any symptoms[1]. Drying the leaves removes the toxicity[1].
Cultivation Details
Spondianthus preussii is a plant of low to moderate elevations in the humid tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 1,800 metres. It grows best in areas with a mean annual rainfall within the range 1,000 - 1,600 metres[1]. Prefers a sandy-loamy soil[1]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[1].
Propagation
Seed - Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Spondianthus+preussii>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
- [2]African Flowering Plants Database — Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. · http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php ↩︎Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.