bitterwood

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The timber of Xylopia glabra, and other species of the same genus. All of them are noted for the extreme bitterness of their wood.
2. n. A name applied to the quassia woods of commerce, the West Indian Picræna excelsa and the Surinam Quassia amara. See quassia.

Wiktionary

1. n. quassia

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A West Indian tree (Picræna excelsa) from the wood of which the bitter drug Jamaica quassia is obtained.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. medium to large tree of tropical North and South America having odd-pinnate leaves and long panicles of small pale yellow flowers followed by scarlet fruits
2. n. West Indian tree yielding the drug Jamaica quassia
3. n. handsome South American shrub or small tree having bright scarlet flowers and yielding a valuable fine-grained yellowish wood; yields the bitter drug quassia from its wood and bark