Jamaican Dogwood 20 Seeds Piscidia piscipula

Piscidia piscipula, commonly known as Jamaica dogwood, fishfuddle, or Florida fishpoison tree, is a medium-sized, deciduous leguminous tree native to the Caribbean, southern Florida, Mexico, and Central America, typically found in coastal hammocks, limestone woodlands, and well-drained tropical forests. It generally reaches 10–18 meters (33–60 feet) in height, with a rounded to spreading crown supported by a short, stout trunk clad in grayish-brown, somewhat fissured bark. The leaves are pinnately compound with several oval, smooth-margined leaflets that fold slightly in dry conditions to conserve moisture. In late winter to spring, the tree produces showy clusters of pea-shaped flowers—white to pale pink or violet—resembling small wisteria blossoms and offering nectar to bees and butterflies. These are followed by slender, papery pods that rattle in the wind when dry. Jamaica dogwood has a long history of ethnobotanical use: various Indigenous cultures employed extracts of the bark and roots, containing rotenone-like compounds, to temporarily stun fish in shallow waters—a practice that inspired the plant’s common names. Medicinally, it has been used as a sedative, analgesic, and antispasmodic, though such uses require caution due to its potent chemistry. Ecologically, Piscidia piscipula supports wildlife through nectar, seed, and habitat resources, and it tolerates drought, salt, and alkaline soils, making it a resilient species suitable for coastal restoration and ornamental planting in warm, subtropical climates.