Krugiodendron ferreum

(Vahl.) Urb.

Leadwood, Black ironwood, Acero

Rhamnaceae Edible: Fruit 776 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A tree. It grows 5-10 m high. The leaves are arranged opposite. The flowers are greenish. The fruit are The ripe fruit are black, juicy and sweet. The fruit are 5-7 mm long.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. The ripe fruits are juicy, with a sweet, agreeable flavour. The black fruit is about 8mm long.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit are eaten raw.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It can tolerate drought.

Where It Grows

Bahamas, Belize, Central America, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Lesser Antilles*, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, Puerto Rico, USA, West Indies*,

Cultivation

A plant of mainly low elevations in the tropics and subtropics. The plant can flower and fruit at different times through the year.

Other Uses

The heartwood is rich, orange-brown, the thin sapwood is lighter coloured. The wood is one of the densest in the world and the heaviest native wood in N. America. It is close-grained; very fine-textured; exceedingly heavy; exceedingly hard; strong but brittle; very resistant to decay and attacks from dry-wood termites; finishes smoothly. The wood is often of too small a size to be used for much more than posts, but where larger sizes are available it is valued for cabinet making, veneer, cross-ties and canes.

Synonyms

Ceanothus ferreus DC.Condalia ferrea (Vahl) Griseb.Krugiodendron ferreum f. continentale Suess.Myginda integrifolia Poir.Rhamnidium ferreum (Vahl) Sarg.Rhamnus brandegeeana Standl.Rhamnus ferreus VahlSarcomphalus laurinus sensu A. Stahl, non Griseb.Scutia ferrea (Vahl) Brongn.Ziziphus emarginata Sw.

Also Known As

Baricao, Carey, Caushati, Ciguamo, Coushati, Espejuelo, Kaubati, Koubati, Quebrahacha

References (5)

Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 191
Grandtner, M. M., 2008, World Dictionary of Trees. Wood and Forest Science Department. Laval University, Quebec, Qc Canada. (Internet database http://www.wdt.qc.ca)
Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 464
Morton,
Plants of Haiti Smithsonian Institute http://botany.si.edu/antilles/West Indies