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Glite Dictionary
Piscidia erythrina

Piscidia erythrina

9.9
A small tree from the Caribbean and Florida with red-striped flowers and winged seedpods used to make fish poison
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Piscidia erythrina
  • Local fishermen once used extracts from Piscidia erythrina as a fish poison.

Examples

  • In botanical gardens, Piscidia erythrina is sometimes grown for its decorative flowers.

  • The Piscidia erythrina tree is valued for its beautiful winged seedpods.

  • The Piscidia erythrina tree is often found in coastal areas.

  • In Florida, Piscidia erythrina can grow up to 30 feet tall.

  • Local fishermen once used extracts from Piscidia erythrina as a fish poison.

  • In botanical gardens, Piscidia erythrina is sometimes grown for its decorative flowers.

  • The Piscidia erythrina tree is valued for its beautiful winged seedpods.

Synonyms

fish fuddle
vsPiscidia erythrina
  • Specialized
9.9

A small tree from the Caribbean and Florida with curly winged seedpods used to poison fish

is the broader botanical description without focus on decorative seedpods
Jamaica dogwood
vsPiscidia erythrina
  • US
9.6

A small tree with large leaves and attractive flowers whose bark fishermen use to stun fish

is more focused on leaf and seedpod form and flower pattern details

Surface Forms

Piscidia erythrina singular
Piscidia erythrinas plural

Morphology

Piscidia + erythrina

The binomial is compositional: 'Piscidia' identifies the genus (a group of shrubs/trees) and 'erythrina' signals an association with red-flowered plants, so a learner who knows those constituent meanings can infer this refers to a Piscidia species (a tree/plant, likely with red flowers). Botanical Latin names follow predictable, cross-linguistic conventions rather than idiomatic shifts, making the overall meaning derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Piscidia erythrina comes from Latin words: Piscidia means 'fish killer' because people used parts of the tree to poison or stun fish, and erythrina means 'red' for its red flowers. So the name reminds us the tree was used to catch fish and is known for its red blooms.