poisonwood

[poi-zuh n-woo d]

noun

a tree, Metopium toxiferum, of southern Florida, that has compound leaves and yellowish, berrylike fruits and is poisonous to touch.

Origin of poisonwood

An Americanism dating back to 1715–25; poison + wood¹

Also called poison tree.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for poisonwood

Contemporary Examples of poisonwood

The book's setting has drawn some comparisons to Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible.
Great Weekend Reads
The Daily Beast
March 13, 2011

Historical Examples of poisonwood

Poison sumach (Rhus vernix) is not the same as poisonwood, though sometimes the two are confounded.
American Forest Trees
Henry H. Gibson
The tree occurs in southern Florida where it is sometimes known as poisonwood.
American Forest Trees
Henry H. Gibson