Follow us on FACEBOOK
Dominica Botanic Gardens
  • Home
  • About
    • Introduction to Website
    • A Brief History
    • Plan of Gardens
    • Contemporary Commentary
  • Botanic Gardens
    • Selected Trees and Shrubs
    • Medicinal Plants
    • Gardens Activities
    • Florida's Fairchild Garden
    • Parrot and Small Animal Sanctuary
    • Birds of the Gardens
    • Three Virtual Tours
    • Panoramic Views Today
    • Early Panoramic Views
    • Hurricane David's Ravages
    • Future Developments
    • Curators and Administrators
    • Reports and Documents
    • Getting Involved
    • Related Links
  • Hosted Sites
    • Honorees
    • Island Scholars
    • Cabinet Photos
    • Treasures of the Cathedral
    • Diaspora Policy Paper
  • DAAS
  • Contact

Selected Trees and Shrubs
Haematoxylon campechianum, Common name: Campeche, Logwood


​Plant Family: Belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family, which includes Golden Shower (Cassia fistula), Flamboyant (Delonix regia)and Barbados Pride (Caesalpinia pulcherrima); but genus is a small one with only two species, both native to Central America.

Description: Slow growing, small, spiny tree with a broad crown; up to 10 m tall (33 ft); tree trunk and branches thorned, becoming fluted and gnarled with age; wood heavy and extremely hard; leaves usually pinnately compound, 5-10 cm long (2-4 in), with 2-4 pairs of inversely heart-shaped leaflets, 1-3 cm long (0.4-1.2 in); flowers borne in showy axillary racemes, 5-12 cm long (2-5 in), yellow, numerous, quite fragrant and very small, with petals 6-7 mm long (about 0.3 in); blooming December-March; pods are thin, flat and light brown, 3-5 cm long (1-2 in); two varieties - red heartwood and white.

Natural Habitat: Thrives in a hot, rather dry climate; in Dominica, a dominant of dry scrub on west coast to 200 m altitude (650 ft); propagation by seed.

Origin and Distribution: Native to Central America; introduced and widely naturalized in Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, and many South American countries.

Uses: Heartwood and roots of red heartwood variety produce a black-blue or purple dye, used for making ink and for dyeing textiles; Jamaica was a major Logwood exporter, producing until 1942; one of few natural dyes used industrially in US until 1970s, and still used in cottage industry; Logwood honey considered of superior quality; medicinally, bark decoction is effective astringent (drying agent), and is used for treatment of diarrhea; in Mexico, used as remedy for diarrhea, anemia, dysentery, intestinal parasites, tuberculosis, and menstrual disorders; in Brazil, used internally for diarrhea and dysentery; and externally as astringent disinfectant for wounds and skin ulcers; in nineteenth century was used as cure for gangrene.
​
References:
Campeche (Haematoxylon campechianum). Raintree Tropical Plant Database, Carson City, Nevada, 1999 (raintree.com)
Penelope N. Honeychurch. Caribbean Wild Plants and Their Uses. Macmillan, London, 1986
Dorothy P. Storer. Familiar Trees and Cultivated Plants of Jamaica. Macmillan, London 1964
H.F. Macmillan. Tropical Planting and Gardening. Macmillan, London 1956
C.D. Adams. Flowering Plants of Jamaica. University of the West Indies, Mona, Glasgow University Press 1972
Dan H. Nicolson. Flora of Dominica, Part 2: Dicotyledoneae. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 1991
Erin Hammeke. Logwood Dye on Paper. Univ. of Texas, Austin, Texas 2004 (ischool.utexas.edu)
​​Gardens Introduction

​

Preface - How it Began
Introduction to Website
A Brief History
Plan of Gardens 
Contemporary Commentary​
​Trees, Shrubs, Birds

​
​
Selected Trees and Shrubs
Medicinal Plants
​
Gardens Activities
  Florida's Fairchild Garden
Parrot/Animal Sanctuary
Birds of the Gardens
Garden Views

​
​
Three Virtual Tours
Panoramic Views Today
Early Panoramic Views
 
Hurricane David's Ravages
Future Developments
Curators/Administrators
Reports and Documents
  
Getting Involved
Related Links
Sub-sites

​

Honorees
Island Scholars
Cabinet Photos
​​Treasures of the Cathedral

​Diaspora Policy Paper
​

Visit the DAAS  Website
Picture
HOME
Site by
CONTACT 
Picture

Copyright © -  Davison Shillingford, Clayton Shillingford and (the late) Raglan Riviere