Master Record: treesna
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Latin name

Family

Distribution

North America distribution zone

Height

Foliage

Ecology

Use

Synonym

English name

French name

Spanish name

Other name

Trade name

Guajacum sanctum L.

Zygophyllaceae

SC SE North America (Mexico to Costa Rica, USA: Florida, Bahamas, West Indies) N South America (Colombia, Venezuela)

SC SE

M[L]

[D] E

hel xer

cl (emblem tree of Bahamas) dr (aphrodisiac tonic, much used in pharmaceuticals as an expectorant, stimulant, antiseptic agent, diaphoretic agent and as laxative, resin applied externaly for skin disease and to tooth for toothache, resin decoction taken orally for syphilis, gout, rheumatism and scrofula, resin taken orally for rheumatism, gout, blood pressure and arteriosclerosis and used as clinical reagent, the bark is used for medicinal purposes and energy-giving, the saponins in the sapwood were an effective control against spirochetes and constituded the only remedy against syphylis until 1509 when they were replaced by arsenical compounds) ex (declared an endangered species in some countries) fd (seeds are high in protein and oils) fr (good forage species) ma (distillation of the pulp and the resin pruduces a substance called guayacol, resin exuded by the trunk is used as an antioxidizing agent in grease and oil) pl (much valued ornamental species) pl(ob) (in past years it was planted along roads and in farms) ti (artisanship, band saw blocks, beads of rosary, bearings used in clocks, bowl for bowling, canes, casters, chess game, crafts, fans and air conditioning units, flooring, general heavy construction, helix's cushion of boat, house's craft, industrial cushions, knife handles, mallets, pulleys, railroad ties, rollers, ship propeller bushing and bearings, shipbuilding, small wheels, sports equipment, structural use, supports for propeller axles in steam vessels, tablet, tool handles, wheel and pulley systems in steel mills before the use of plastics and synthetic rubber)

Guaiacum guatemalense Planch. ex Rydb. Guaiacum sanctum L.

roughbark lignumvitae; guaiacum-wood; Hollywood lignum vitae (Puerto Rico); holywood lignumvitae (Bahamas); lignum vitae (Bahamas); ligum vitae (Bahamas, Jamaica); wood of life (Bahamas)

gaïac blanc; bois saint (Haiti); bois de vie; gaïac bâtard (Haiti); gaïac bois saint; gaïac cardasse, gaïac femelle (Haiti)

bastard (Puerto Rico); gayacán blanco (Bahamas); guayabón real (Costa Rica); guayacan (Nicaragua); guayacán (Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico, West indies); guayácan bastardo, guayácan batardo (Dominican Republic); guayacan blanco (Cuba); guayacán blanco (Cuba, Puerto Rico); guayacán de vera (Puerto Rico); guayacán real (Costa Rica, Mexico, West Indies); guayacancillo (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico); guayacanemo (Puerto Rico); guyacán (Bahamas); lignum vitae (Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico, West indies); palo santo (Mexico, West indies); palosanto (Honduras); vera (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti); vera amarilla, vera prieta (Cuba)

bueloebarie (Netherlands Antilles); gaïac; gayak blan, gayak femèl, gayak kadas (creole, Haiti); pokhout (dutch, Puerto Rico); wajakaa maatsjoe, wayaka shimarón beera (Netherlands Antilles)

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Latin name	Guajacum sanctum L.
Family	Zygophyllaceae
Distribution	SC SE North America (Mexico to Costa Rica, USA: Florida, Bahamas, West Indies) N South America (Colombia, Venezuela)
North America distribution zone	SC SE
Height	M[L]
Foliage	[D] E
Ecology	hel xer
Use	cl (emblem tree of Bahamas) dr (aphrodisiac tonic, much used in pharmaceuticals as an expectorant, stimulant, antiseptic agent, diaphoretic agent and as laxative, resin applied externaly for skin disease and to tooth for toothache, resin decoction taken orally for syphilis, gout, rheumatism and scrofula, resin taken orally for rheumatism, gout, blood pressure and arteriosclerosis and used as clinical reagent, the bark is used for medicinal purposes and energy-giving, the saponins in the sapwood were an effective control against spirochetes and constituded the only remedy against syphylis until 1509 when they were replaced by arsenical compounds) ex (declared an endangered species in some countries) fd (seeds are high in protein and oils) fr (good forage species) ma (distillation of the pulp and the resin pruduces a substance called guayacol, resin exuded by the trunk is used as an antioxidizing agent in grease and oil) pl (much valued ornamental species) pl(ob) (in past years it was planted along roads and in farms) ti (artisanship, band saw blocks, beads of rosary, bearings used in clocks, bowl for bowling, canes, casters, chess game, crafts, fans and air conditioning units, flooring, general heavy construction, helix's cushion of boat, house's craft, industrial cushions, knife handles, mallets, pulleys, railroad ties, rollers, ship propeller bushing and bearings, shipbuilding, small wheels, sports equipment, structural use, supports for propeller axles in steam vessels, tablet, tool handles, wheel and pulley systems in steel mills before the use of plastics and synthetic rubber)
Synonym	Guaiacum guatemalense Planch. ex Rydb. Guaiacum sanctum L.
English name	roughbark lignumvitae; guaiacum-wood; Hollywood lignum vitae (Puerto Rico); holywood lignumvitae (Bahamas); lignum vitae (Bahamas); ligum vitae (Bahamas, Jamaica); wood of life (Bahamas)
French name	gaïac blanc; bois saint (Haiti); bois de vie; gaïac bâtard (Haiti); gaïac bois saint; gaïac cardasse, gaïac femelle (Haiti)
Spanish name	bastard (Puerto Rico); gayacán blanco (Bahamas); guayabón real (Costa Rica); guayacan (Nicaragua); guayacán (Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico, West indies); guayácan bastardo, guayácan batardo (Dominican Republic); guayacan blanco (Cuba); guayacán blanco (Cuba, Puerto Rico); guayacán de vera (Puerto Rico); guayacán real (Costa Rica, Mexico, West Indies); guayacancillo (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico); guayacanemo (Puerto Rico); guyacán (Bahamas); lignum vitae (Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico, West indies); palo santo (Mexico, West indies); palosanto (Honduras); vera (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti); vera amarilla, vera prieta (Cuba)
Other name	bueloebarie (Netherlands Antilles); gaïac; gayak blan, gayak femèl, gayak kadas (creole, Haiti); pokhout (dutch, Puerto Rico); wajakaa maatsjoe, wayaka shimarón beera (Netherlands Antilles)
Trade name