Hura crepitans

Hura crepitans L.

Common Names: Sand Box Tree, Dynamite Tree

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Habit: Hura crepitans grows as a spiny tree to 15 m in height. The leaves are arranged alternately, round to ovate, to 7 cm in length/wide, with a serrate or entire or undulate leaf margin, and an acuminate/cuspidate leaf apex. Adaxial leaf surface is shiny. There are linear to lanceolate stipules.

Hura crepitans is monoecious. The incomplete, imperfect, actinomorphic, flowers are arranged in terminal, pubescent racemes. Staminate flowers highly reduced to a red calyx cup and no corolla. The stamens are fused into a column with the anthers in 2 tiers. There is no carpel.  The carpellate flowers highly reduced to a red calyx cup and no perianth or stamens. The superior ovary has multiple locules and ovules. The fruit is a deeply lobed capsule that will EXPLOSIVELY dehisce.

Habitat: Hura crepitans grows in Human Altered environments (yards, gardens, roadsides).

Distribution: Hura crepitans occurs on New Providence and is a doubtful native. It also occurs in the Caribbean region and Central and South America. It now occurs in parts of central Africa.

Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Hura crepitans is not known to be used medicinally in the Lucayan Archipelago.