Hura crepitans
Hura crepitans, known by the common names sandbox tree, possumwood, monkey no-climb, assacu and jabillo, is a species of evergreen tree in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to tropical regions of North and South America including the Amazon rainforest. It is also present in parts of Tanzania, where it is considered an invasive species. Because its fruit explodes when ripe, it has also received the colloquial nickname "dynamite tree".
Description
The sandbox tree can grow to in height, and up to in girth at above the ground; its large ovate leaves grow to wide. The trees are monoecious, with red, un-petaled flowers. Male flowers grow on long spikes, while female flowers grow alone in leaf axils. The trunk is covered in long, sharp spikes that secrete poisonous sap. The fruit are large, pumpkin-shaped capsules, long, diameter, with 16 carpels arranged radially. Its seeds are flattened and about diameter. The capsules explode when ripe, splitting into segments and launching seeds at. One source states that ripe capsules catapult their seeds as far as. Another source states that seeds are thrown as far as from a tree, most commonly. High-speed video analysis of its exploding fruit revealed that sandbox seeds fly with backspin as opposed to topspin, which had been previously assumed. Backspin helps seeds remain oriented to minimize their drag during flight.Habitat
This tree prefers wet soil and partial shade or partial to full sun. It is often cultivated for shade. Sandbox trees are tropical trees and prefer warmer, more humid environments.Uses
Its wood is light enough that indigenous people used it to make canoes. Fishermen have been said to use the milky, caustic sap from this tree to poison fish. The Caribs made arrow poison from its sap. The wood is used for furniture under the name "hura". In a time when most writing pens left wet ink on the page, the trees' unripe seed capsules were sawn in half to make decorative boxes to hold the "sand" used to dry the ink, hence the name "sandbox tree".Extracts from this species have also been documented in herbal remedies. The seeds contain an oil that is toxic if ingested but can be made into biodiesel and soap; the starchy leftovers after extracting the oil from the seeds can be made into animal feed after cooking.