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Lonchocarpus urucu
Lonchocarpus urucu, or barbasco, is a tropical tree or shrub in the pea family (Fabaceae) native to the forests of Peru, Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. It is grown mainly for its root, which yields rotenone-rich resin used as an insecticide and fish poison, rather than as an ornamental.
Lonchocarpus urucu, or barbasco, is plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the tropical forests of Peru, as well as of Brazil and Guyana, growing from 100–1,800 metres (330–5,910 ft) above sea level. It was also recorded in Venezuela.
Cubé resin, the root extract from Barbasco and from cubé (Lonchocarpus utilis), is used as a commercial insecticide and piscicide (fish poison). The major active ingredients are rotenone and deguelin. Although "organic" (produced by nature), rotenone is no longer considered an environmentally safe chemical.
Barbasco is toxic to insects, fish, and other pests. The primary threat to humans and other mammals comes from inhaling the powdered root or root extract. It has been used by the Shuar people of Ecuador and the Nukak people of Colombia as a poison for fishing.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lonchocarpus urucu by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
