Philenoptera violacea standing tall

The tall tree with whitish branches in the distance is a Philenoptera violacea, rain tree or apple-leaf. While erect in its growth habit, some twisting of the stems is invariably present. The pale grey bark flakes from old stems.

This is one more tree that yields a poison used by African freshwater fishermen for paralysing fish in the rivers and lakes of the tropics.

Another paradoxical sounding function involves use of the roots in traditional medicine to treat snakebite; combating one poison with another (Coates Palgrave, 2002; www.plantzafrica.com).