A tropical American shrub or small tree (genus Picrodendron) with bitter wood, also called devil-bush.
Compound of devil and wood, referring to the plant's bitter, unpalatable wood quality. The 'devil' prefix was applied to plants with unpleasant qualities in folk naming traditions.
Plants named with 'devil' (devil's claw, devil's walking stick, devilwood) reveal how common people categorized nature—unpleasant, prickly, or bitter plants received 'devilish' names, showing folklore's influence on botanical terminology.
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