HEIGHT up to 150 ft (45 m)
TYPE Evergreen
OCCURRENCE India to S. China, Malaysia, Africa
The upas tree has a conical crown and its trunk is sometimes buttressed. The latex is toxic and contains cardiac glycosides, which can cause heart failure. It has been widely used by some tribal peoples in north India and Borneo to poison arrowheads. BARK Yellowish to grayish white, smooth, usually with lenticels; exudes creamy white, watery latex; it has a fibrous inner bark. LEAF Alternate, oblong-elliptic to obovate, hairy, sometimes toothed. FLOWER Males and females on the same tree; males: fleshy, green, with rounded heads; females: solitary in a pear-shaped receptacle. FRUIT Purple-red pear-shaped drupe, ripening to black, immersed in a fleshy receptacle.
