Caesalpinia pulcherrima 洋金鳳

POISONOUS PARTS

Roots, leaves and seeds.^3,4

TOXICITY

• Toxic Constituents

  Not identified.

• Poisoning Features

  Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Dehydration in severe cases.^3,5

• Poisoning Events

  Cases of poisoning due to ingestion of the seeds from Caesalpinia species have been reported and they occurred most commonly in children. Most patients presented with vomiting and abdominal pain.⁶

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

Supportive treatment. Correction of fluid and electrolyte disturbances in patients with severe gastrointestinal symptoms.³

IDENTIFICATION FEATURES

Shrubs or small trees; branchlets sparsely spiny. Leaves bipinnate, 12–26 cm long; pinnae 4–8 pairs, opposite; leaflets 7–11 pairs, 1–2 × 0.4–0.8 cm. Racemes 25 cm long; pedicels 4.5–7 cm long, hypanthium turbinate. Petals orange-red or yellow, 2–2.5 cm long, margin wrinkled wavy. Filaments red, long exserted; styles orange-yellow. Pods 6–10 × 1.5–2 cm, apex long beaked, black when ripe.⁷