bitterwood

• Nom désignant plusieurs arbres ou arbustes connus pour leur bois amer, notamment un arbuste ou petit arbre d'Amérique du Sud aux fleurs écarlates vives fournissant la quassie, un arbre des Antilles produisant la quassie de Jamaïque, et un arbre de taille moyenne à grande des régions tropicales d'Amérique du Nord et du Sud à feuilles composées imparipennées, longues panicules de petites fleurs jaune pâle et fruits écarlates.

A noun referring to any of several trees or shrubs known for their bitter-tasting wood, including a South American shrub or small tree with bright scarlet flowers that yields quassia, a West Indian tree that produces Jamaica quassia, and a medium to large tree of tropical North and South America with odd-pinnate leaves, long panicles of small pale yellow flowers, and scarlet fruits.

1. Quassia amaraC1formalamericanscientific

   A small South American tree with bright red flowers, valued for its fine-grained yellowish wood and used as a source of the bitter compound quassia.

   Quassia amara

   • Bitterwood is cultivated in parts of South America for its medicinal bark.
   • The wood of the bitterwood tree is often used in fine woodworking.
   • Extracts from bitterwood have been used in traditional remedies.

   Synonymesquassia

2. C1formalamericanscientific

   A West Indian tree that produces Jamaica quassia, a bitter substance used in medicine and as a flavoring agent.

   Quassia de la Jamaïque

   • Jamaica quassia is derived from the bitterwood tree found in the Caribbean.
   • Bitterwood extracts are sometimes used in herbal bitters.
   • The bark of the bitterwood is harvested for its quassia content.

   Synonymesquassia

3. Simarouba glaucaC1formalamericanscientific

   A medium to large tropical tree native to the Americas, with compound leaves and clusters of small pale yellow flowers followed by red fruits.

   Simarouba glauca

   • The bitterwood tree produces small yellow flowers in long clusters.
   • Its bright red fruits are a distinctive feature of the bitterwood.
   • Bitterwood is sometimes planted as an ornamental tree in tropical gardens.