Cerbera manghas
APOCYNACEAE. Indigenous
SIZE: Up to 15m tall; trunk size 50cm diameter
TYPE: Evergreen
HABTITAT: Coastal areas
“The sweet fragrance of the blooms compensates for the poisonous nature of the large, ruby-red, lacquered fruit, the oily seeds of which are reported to contain the heart poison, cerebrin…(Hence) the name Cerbera alludes to the toxic nature of the plant and derives from Cereberus, the name of the three-headed dog from Greek mythology that guarded the entrance to Hades, the underworld.”
Margaret Barwick “Tropical and Subtropical Trees”