logwood

1 very hard brown to brownish-red heartwood of a logwood tree; used in preparing a purplish red dye

2 spiny shrub or small tree of Central America and West Indies having bipinnate leaves and racemes of small bright yellow flowers and yielding a hard brown or brownish-red heartwood used in preparing a black dye [syn: logwood tree, campeachy, bloodwood tree, Haematoxylum campechianum]

The Logwood tree (Haematoxylum campechianum) was once an important source of red dye. The tree's scientific name means 'bloodwood' ('haima' being Greek for 'blood' and 'xulon' Greek for wood) from the Campeche region of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. The Logwood grows throughout Central America. It led to the founding of the modern nation of Belize, which grew from British logging camps of the 17th century. It is still an important source of haematoxylin, used in histology for staining.

The bark and leaves are used in various medical applications.

The name "logwood" is also used for many species, such the Spiny logwood and White logwood, that are not true logwoods but really belong to the genus Xylosma.

External links

• Logwood and Brazilwood