bitterwood tree

Definitions of bitterwood tree

1. noun

   any of various trees or shrubs of the family Simaroubaceae having wood and bark with a bitter taste
   types:

   Simarouba amara, marupa

   tree of the Amazon valley yielding a light brittle timber locally regarded as resistant to insect attack

   Simarouba glauca, bitterwood, paradise tree

   medium to large tree of tropical North and South America having odd-pinnate leaves and long panicles of small pale yellow flowers followed by scarlet fruits

   Jamaica quassia, Picrasma excelsa, Picrasma excelsum, bitterwood

   West Indian tree yielding the drug Jamaica quassia

   Quassia amara, bitterwood, quassia

   handsome South American shrub or small tree having bright scarlet flowers and yielding a valuable fine-grained yellowish wood; yields the bitter drug quassia from its wood and bark

   type of:

   tree

   a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms