''Simarouba glauca'' is a

flowering Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

tree that is native to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, and the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. Common names include paradise-tree, dysentery-bark, and bitterwood. The tree is well suited for warm, humid, tropical regions. Its cultivation depends on rainfall distribution, water holding capacity of the soil, and sub-soil moisture. It is suited for temperature range of , and can grow at elevations from

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

to . It grows tall and has a span of . It bears yellow

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s and purple elongated oval fleshy

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

Cultivation

It can be propagated from seeds, grafting, and

tissue culture Tissue culture is the growth of tissue (biology), tissues or cell (biology), cells in an artificial medium separate from the parent organism. This technique is also called micropropagation. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-s ...

technology. Fruits are collected in April and May, when they are ripe, and then dried in sun for about a week. Skin is separated, and seeds are grown in

plastic bag A plastic bag, poly bag, or pouch is a type of container made of thin, flexible, plastic film, nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting goods such as foods, produce, Powder (substance), powders, ...

s to produce saplings. Saplings 2 to 3 months old can be transplanted to a plantation. Simarouba glauca Flower

Use

The wood is generally insect resistant and is used in the preparation of quality furniture, toys, matches, and as pulp (in paper making). It also can be used for industrial purposes in the manufacture of

biofuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from Biomass (energy), biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels such as oil. Biofuel can be produced from plants or from agricu ...

, soaps, detergents, lubricants, varnishes, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

Claims of medicinal properties

''Simarouba'' is used for treating diarrhea, stomach upset, and malaria, amoung other diseases, but there is no scientifically verified evidence for its effectiveness in any of these.

Environmental impact

The tree forms a well-developed

root system In mathematics, a root system is a configuration of vector space, vectors in a Euclidean space satisfying certain geometrical properties. The concept is fundamental in the theory of Lie groups and Lie algebras, especially the classification and ...

and dense evergreen canopy that efficiently checks

soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the Topsoil, upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, Atmosphere of Ea ...

, supports soil microbial life, and improves groundwater position. Besides converting

solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...

into biochemical energy yearround, it checks overheating of the soil surface, particularly during summer. Large-scale planting in wastelands facilitates wasteland reclamation, converts the accumulated atmospheric

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

into oxygen, and contributes to the reduction of

greenhouse effect The greenhouse effect occurs when greenhouse gases in a planet's atmosphere insulate the planet from losing heat to space, raising its surface temperature. Surface heating can happen from an internal heat source (as in the case of Jupiter) or ...

or global warming.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q19690498 Simaroubaceae Plants described in 1811 Trees of the Bahamas Trees of Central America Trees of Northern America Trees of Haiti Trees of the Dominican Republic Trees of Puerto Rico Trees of Cuba Trees of Jamaica

Cultivation

Use

Claims of medicinal properties

Environmental impact

See also

References