Virgin Islands Native Plant
Guest Blog by Carissa Moses
Guaiacum officinale
Guaiacum officinale on the University of the Virgin Islands' St. Thomas campus (12 Apr 2021).
Guaiacum officinale, also commonly known as lignum vitae, is a small, slow-growing evergreen tree that can reach up to 30 feet high. Its common name means in Latin “wood of life.” The wood of G. officinale has been used for medicinal purposes as well as building ship propeller drives and carving other items.
Guaiacum officinale is a dicot plant species that has 5 petals, which its colors ranges in shades from blue to purple and can sometimes appear to be white. Each flower has about 10 stamens, which have white filaments and either white or yellow anthers. The leaves are pinnately compound, thick, rounded, and waxy. Its fruits have an olive green color and are flattened and heart-shaped and appears to be brown and rounded when matured. Each fruit has two chambers that contains either one or two fleshy, red or black seeds that is dehiscent once ripe. The seeds are also drought tolerant.
References
- http://geographicconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/lignum-vitae-final1.pdf
- https://stthomassource.com/content/2020/05/30/encouraging-signs-of-life-returning/
- https://stjohnhistoricalsociety.org/vol-ix-no-7-march-2008-lignum-vitae-beauty-strength-and-the-fallibility-of-medicine-by-eleanor-gibney/
- https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=GUOF
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