ABSTRACT
There are two stories about how fiddlewood (Citharexylum fruticosum, Florida to Panama and Trinidad) got its name. One is that wood from it was used to make fiddles (violins for those of highbrow tastes). The other is that the tree was known as bois fidèle (faithful wood) to the French, and that the English misunderstood and mispronounced the name. Take your pick.
