Piscidia erythrina / Jamaican Dogwood Bark

Piscidia piscipula, or Piscidia erythrina and commonly named Florida fishpoison tree, Jamaican dogwood, or fishfuddle, is a medium-sized, deciduous, tropical tree endemic to the wider Caribben region including extreme southern Florida (primarily the Florida Keys) and the Bahamas, many of the Antillean islands and the coastal region from Panama northward to the vicinity of Ocampo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Native Americans of the West Indies discovered extracts from the tree could sedate fish, allowing them to be caught by hand.  This practice led to the tree’s common names—fishpoison and fishfuddle.

The Jamaican Dogwood tree grows in coastal zones. It prefers well-drained, sandy soils, with a top layer of humus. The tree has some tolerance to short-term storm surges of brackish water or seawater. Although it grows in coastal conditions, the tree is usually protected from direct salt spray by adjoining vegetation. Established trees are highly tolerant of drought.