Insecticides
Hamish Sloan (Fri, 14 Feb 2003 04:18:11 PST)

Kelly wrote
"I've not heard of quassia wood before so wouldn't even begin to know where
to search for it. Does it have another name?"

Also known as Bitterwood. May be the wood of Picroena excelsa (Jamaican
quassia tree) or of Quassia amara (Surinam quassia tree).
Both are from West Indies and northern parts of South America.

The Jamaica tree is also known as Bitter Ash as its leaves resemble the
common Ash. Yellow, lightweight, tough, dense wood. Odourless with an
intensely bitter taste.
Imported mostly as chips for the production of its extract which is used in
medicine as a bitter tonic. Once widely used in flypapers and in stockfeed
tonics for cattle. In the tropics, the wood is used for furniture as it has
a natural resistance to insects. The Surinam quassia is a darker, more
dense, harder wood with otherwise similar properties.

I haven't seen quassia wood chips for sale over here for some time. It used
to be a fairly common constituent of children's chemistry sets. It may be
available as the extract through a pharmacist. Might be worth asking any of
your friends in the medical or veterinary professions if it is still used
by them.

Regards Hamish