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Lithraea caustica (commonly known as the litre tree, and historically as llithi or liti) is a species of flowering plants in the soapberry family Anacardiaceae. This plant is endemic to central Chile; an example occurrence is in the area of La Campana National Park and Cerro La Campana. The tree is a well known human allergen and can cause a rash of the skin, the effects of and susceptibility to which can vary greatly among individuals.
The leaves and branches of litre induces severe dermatitis after contact with human skin. The dermatitis characterized by swelling and itching in some people. The allergenic agent of litre is 3–pentadecyl (10–enyl) catechol (litreol), an urushiol similar in structure to the allergens from poison oak and poison ivy.
Litre grows in matorral climates (i.e., areas with similar climates to the southern Mediterranean); its range in Central Chile is the broadest of any matorral shrub in the region. It has been found to increase in abundance in response to grazing.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lithraea caustica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
