Oxandra lanceolata

Not to be confused with Pseudopanax crassifolius, which is also called lancewood.

Lancewood
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Annonaceae
Genus:	Oxandra
Species:	O. lanceolata
Binomial name
Oxandra lanceolata (Sw.) Baill. [2]
Synonyms [2]
Bocagea virgata Benth. & Hook.f. Cananga lancea Poit. ex Dunal Guatteria virgataDunal Oxandra virgata A.Rich. Uvaria lanceolataSw. Uvaria virgataSw. Oxandra lanceolata subsp. macrocarpa R.E.Fr.

Oxandra lanceolata, also known as lancewood in English and chilcahuite in Spanish, is a species of plant in the Annonaceae family. It occurs naturally in Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. ^{[3] [4]}

It is an evergreen tree growing up to 15 metres high. ^[4] Its leaves are 3.5-9.5 cm long, 1.5–4 cm wide and elliptic, lanceolate or oblanceolate in shape, with a rounded base and a sharp tip to the leaf blade. The petiole is bare and grows up to 1–2 mm in length. ^[4] Its compound fruit are ellipsoidal in shape, reddish-black in colour, 11–13 mm long and 7–9 mm wide. ^[4] Its wood is used as a raw material, ^[5] such as from October 1886 onwards for truncheons of the London Metropolitan Police.

References

1. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI); IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. (2019). "Oxandra lanceolata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T61984686A143325782. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T61984686A143325782.en . Retrieved 11 February 2025.
2. "Oxandra lanceolata (Sw.) Baill". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
3. "Oxandra lanceolata – Maps". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
4. "Oxandra lanceolata" (in French). Plantes & botanique. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
5. D.J. Mabberley (1997). The Plant-book: A Portable Dictionary of the Vascular Plants (Second Edition). Cambridge University Press. p. 512. ISBN   9780521414210.