About

Dirca palustris, or eastern leatherwood, is a flowering shrub in the family Thymelaeceae native to eastern North America. The name leatherwood refers to the toughness of its elastic and fibrous bark, which was used to make cordage by Native American tribes, and later, European settlers. Other common names include leatherbark, wicopee (or wicopy), rope-bark, moosewood, and bois de plomb in Canada.

The species epithet palustris means "of the marsh" in reference to the wet soils preferred by this species, though it may also occur in well-drained areas provided that the soils are moisture-retentive.

Safety

The plant is known to be an emetic, laxative, and vesicant with some people developing severe skin irritation upon contact with the bark. The fruits are mildly poisonous to mammals.

Eight novel organic sulfur compounds, named dirchromones, have been isolated from dichloromethane extracts of the roots, bark, and wood. These compounds, the first sulfur-containing compounds to be identified in the family Thymelaceae, were found to have cytotoxic and mild antibacterial effects.

Where it grows

Its natural distribution extends from New Brunswick to Ontario in the north and from northern Florida to Louisiana in the south. Within this range, the distribution is restricted to very specific site conditions. As a result, the occurrence of the species is sporadic. It is found almost exclusively in mesic, relatively rich hardwood forests or mixed conifer-hardwood forests.