''Lithraea molleoides'' is a tree (2.5 and 8 m tall) that is native to

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 ...

, specially in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

, and the

Cerrado The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...

vegetation of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Landscaping

The plant is commonly considered as unsuitable to

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

, as it is a poisonous plant: it produces volatile substances that propagate from touching the leaves, through contact with droplets, or through the tree's

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

. These substances are allergenic and contact with them may produce general allergic sensitivity, skin disease, fever, and visual problems. Planting this tree where it can be accessible to the general public is therefore strongly discouraged.

Popular custom

, folk tradition states that people are supposed to salute the tree in a way according to the time of day. For example, if somebody encounters the tree during the day, they are supposed to say "Good night, Mr. (or Mrs.) Aruera". Similarly, if it is during the night, they would say "Good day, Mr. Aruera".

References

External links

*
Sistema de Información de Biodiversidad: ''Lithraea molleoides''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15545669 molleoides Trees of Argentina Trees of Bolivia Trees of Brazil Flora of the Cerrado Medicinal plants of South America