STRYCHNOS

genus of tropical woody plants, many of them trees, in the family Loganiaceae (order Gentianales). The flowers are small and usually white or creamy white in colour. Several of the approximately 150 species in the genus are important sources of drugs or poisons: strychnine, from the seeds of S. nux-vomica and other species; and curare (q.v.), from the bark of S. toxifera and other species. A few species are valued locally for their sweet fruits, including S. spinosa (Natal orange) and S. unguacha.