Country estate

REMARKABLE TREES

STRYCHNINE (STRYCHNOS NUX-VOMICA)

Strychnine, notorious in both fact and fiction as a fast-acting and deadly posion,, is native to India and South-east Asia. Also known as the poison nut, this medium-sized tree develops a cluster of small, green-white flowers that emit a disagreeable smell, an indication of the much more disagreeable seeds that will follow. Strychnine powder has been used as both a ‘medicine’ (usually a stimulant) and a poison – depending on the dose. Agatha Christie used strychnine several times in her novels, including her first, (published in 1921), which introduced Hercule Poirot.