ABSTRACT
Other names: Jamaican quassia; Bitter ash; Bitter wood; Surinam wood; Amargo; Bitterwood; Quassia wood, Pau amarelo, Quassia, palo muneco
Foreign names: Bois amer de Surinam (Fr.), Bitterholz (Ger.), Quassia amarga (Sp.), Quassia (It.)
Description: Quassia is a collective term for two herbs: Q. amara and P. excelsa. Q. amara, also known as Jamaican quassia, is a tree growing to 5 to 8 m (16 to 26 ft) tall and native to Brazil. It exhibits a smooth bark, pinnate and lanceolate green leaves with red veins and ˆowers in terminal clusters. The tree P. excelsa, also known as Surinam quassia, grows to 25 m (82 ft) in height and is native to the Antilles. It has oval, oblong leaves and ˆowers clustered in spikes. The part used is the wood from the branches and trunk. Quassia has a slight odor with a very bitter taste.
