Guaiacum
Sign in to saveAlso known as lignum vitae
Guaiacum (), sometimes spelled Guajacum, is a genus of flowering plants in the caltrop family Zygophyllaceae. It contains five species of slow-growing shrubs and trees, reaching a height of approximately but usually less than half of that. All are native to subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas and are commonly known as lignum-vitae, guayacán (Spanish), or gaïac (French). The genus name originated in Taíno, the language spoken by the native Taínos of the Bahamas; it was adopted into English in 1533, the first word in that language of American origin.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderZygophyllales
- FamilyZygophyllaceae
Common Name: thin sap
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 64
- With media
- 40
- Family
- Zygophyllaceae
- Collections
- IBUNAM, CAS, NY, MO, DES, MICH
- Recorded in
- Honduras, Mexico, United States, Guatemala, Venezuela, Caribbean, Colombia
Research
1,088 papers- Guaiacum Toxicity: An Unusal Poisoning.The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India · 2019
- The synergistic effects of Guaiacum officinale and Rhodomyrtus tomentosa extracts in the treatment of acne vulgaris on sensitive skin.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2024
- Use of Fecal Occult Blood Testing as a Diagnostic Tool for Clinical Indications: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.The American journal of gastroenterology · 2020
- Colorectal cancer screening.World journal of gastroenterology · 2006
- Guaiacum, the holy wood from the New World.Journal of the history of medicine and allied sciences · 1949
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Zygophyllaceae
- Image
- Guaiacum officinale - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-069.jpg
Show 8 more facts
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
- taxon common name
- gvajak
- Commons category
- Guaiacum
- taxon rank
- genus
- taxon name
- Guaiacum
- topic's main category
- Category:Guaiacum
- taxonomic type
- Guaiacum sanctum
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Uses
- Species
- Formerly placed here
- References
- External links
Guaiacum (), sometimes spelled Guajacum, is a genus of flowering plants in the caltrop family Zygophyllaceae. It contains five species of slow-growing shrubs and trees, reaching a height of approximately but usually less than half of that. All are native to subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas and are commonly known as lignum-vitae, guayacán (Spanish), or gaïac (French). The genus name originated in Taíno, the language spoken by the native Taínos of the Bahamas; it was adopted into English in 1533, the first word in that language of American origin.
Members of the genus have a variety of uses, including as lumber, for medicinal purposes, and as ornamentals. The trade of all species of Guaiacum is controlled under CITES Appendix II.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Guaiacum” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.