Ptaeroxylon obliquum
Ptaeroxylon obliquum is the botanical name for the sneezewood tree. It is native to Southern Africa, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. It is the only species in the genus Ptaeroxylon.
Species
SPECIES
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderSapindales
- FamilyRutaceae
Native toAngola, Botswana, Cape Provinces, Eswatini, KwaZulu-Natal, Mozambique, Namibia, Northern Provinces, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
Common Name: nieshout
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Ptaeroxylon obliquum, habitus, Walter Sisulu NBT.jpg
Sources (2)
Article
7 sectionsContents
- Background
- Description
- Uses
- Lumber
- Medicinal
- See also
- References
Ptaeroxylon obliquum is the botanical name for the sneezewood tree. It is native to Southern Africa, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. It is the only species in the genus Ptaeroxylon.
== Background == Ptaeroxylon obliquum is a species from the family Rutaceae which are most abundant in South Africa and Australia. The term ptaeroxylon is Greek for sneeze and wood, while obliquum denotes the oblique shape of the leaflets. The wood produces oils containing nieshoutol, which causes violent sneeze attacks by workers who are exposed to the tree. Though sneezewood is not poisonous, it has been known to cause respiratory complications. It has been linked to asthma, rhinitis and mucosal inflammation.