Loganiaceae FAMILY

Strychnos nux-blanda

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

Various parts of Strychnos plants, especially the seeds and bark, contain toxic alkaloids such as strychnine and brucine. The fleshy pulp of the ripe fruits, however, is often edible^[1]. Unlike the closely related Strychnos nux-vomica, this species does not contain any appreciable quantity of toxic alkaloids in the seeds^[2].

Cultivation Details

HabitSemi-deciduous Tree

Growth—

A plant of the tropics, where it grows mainly in areas with seasonal rainfall^[2]. It does not tolerate even light frosts^[3]. Plants are normally found growing in the shade of deciduous or semideciduous trees^[3]. The tree usually fruits well every year^[3]. During the first season the growth of the seedhng above ground is slow, development being confined to little or nothing more than the expansion of the large green leafy cotyledons : a long rather thick taproot of somewhat delicate texture is rapidly formed, and may reach a length of 20 - 22cm within a month of germination. During the second season the growth of the seedling is more rapid^[3].

Propagation

Seed - sown fresh in a shaded position it normally germinates quickly and well. It quickly forms a taproot after germinating and so needs to be sown in deep, individual containers or in situ^[3]. In a test, 50% of seeds remained viable after 1 year in storage^[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Strychnos+nux-blanda>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

[1]Flora of Somalia — Thulin M. (Editor) · Kew Publishing, London. · 1993 ↩︎Detailed information on the plants of the region, often adding notes on the plants uses.
[2]Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information — HMSO; London · 1917 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A botanical publication by Kew Gardens. It contains information on various plants, including a rather dated treatment of the genus Strychnos in Asia.
[3]The Silviculture of Indian Trees — Troup. R.S. · Oxford, at the Clarendon Press · 1921 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎An excellent treatment.