Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco

The quebracho ( quebracho - blanco Aspidosperma ) is a species of the genus Aspidosperma in the family of the dogbane family ( Apocynaceae ). It forms in the interior of Argentina, in the province of Catamarca, immense forests.

Origin of the name

The specific epithet quebracho - blanco is Spanish origin. The word quebracho consists of the verb with the meaning quebrar break, bend to one side and the noun hacha for ax, hatchet together; the word blanco means white. This name refers to the bright, very hard and heavy wood of fissile Art

Description

The quebracho tree is a medium sized tree. He has a straight, strong stem, a moderate crown and drooping branches. The almost constantly against arranged leaves are ovate- lanceolate, entire and somewhat leathery. The inconspicuous flowers are hermaphroditic. The fruit is wrong with a length of nearly 8 inches and a diameter of about 5 cm, elliptic.

Use

The bitter bark of the quebracho was a folk remedy for malaria and contains about 1 % alkaloids, including yohimbine and aspidospermine. The drug is contained in a few asthma preparations and cough drops.

The extremely dense (1.49 g / cm ³) and solid wood deserve as a surrogate of boxwood wood for woodcuts attention.