Strychnos ignatii

Strychnos ignatii is a tree in the Loganiaceae family, native to the Philippines, particularly in Catbalogan and parts of China. The plant was first described by the Moravian (Czech) Jesuit working in the Philippines, brother Georg Kamel who named its seeds "the beans of St. Ignatius", in honour of the founder of his religious order.

Strychnos ignatii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Loganiaceae
Genus: Strychnos
Species:
S. ignatii
Binomial name
Strychnos ignatii
P.J.Bergius
Synonyms
  • Ignatia amara LinnĂ© filius
  • Ignatiana philippinica Loureiro
  • Strychnos hainanensis Merrill & Chun
  • Strychnos ignatii Bergius
  • Strychnos ovalifolia Wallich ex G. Don
  • Strychnos philippensis Blanco

Etymology

The plants was originally named by Kamel for Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of Kamel's Jesuit missionary order. It is known in the Philippines under the names of: aguwason, dankkagi (Visayan language) or igasud (in Cebuano language).

Fruit

The fruit of S. ignatii is the size and shape of a pear, and has almond-like seeds known as Saint Ignatius' beans.[1]

Strychnine

The beans of the plant contain the alkaloids strychnine and brucine.[2]

References
  1. Ignatia. enotes.com Archived March 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Datta De, B; Bisset, N. G. (1990). "Alkaloids of Strychnos ignatii". Planta Medica. 56 (1): 133. doi:10.1055/s-2006-960910. PMID 17221391.
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