Bocconia frutescens aka Plume Poppy

Bocconia frutescens is a woody shrub or small tree. It belongs to Papaveraceae, the poppy family. People call it tree celandine or shrubby tree celandine. Another name is parrot weed. Kew gives its native range as Mexico to northwestern Argentina. This range includes the Caribbean too. It grows in tropical regions with dry seasons. It also grows in moist thickets and forests.

Useful Tropical Plants lists its height as 16 feet [5 metres]. Its fuller account gives about 25 feet [7.5 metres]. These heights vary, rather than set a firm garden range. Some plants have no branches. The large, glaucous leaves give it its main garden appeal. People grow it for these leaves. Its bark gives off yellow sap. Records list several uses for this sap as a dye.

The plant makes seed capsules, which hold its many seeds. Each seed has a fleshy red aril at its base. Birds visit this fleshy part. They spread the seeds far from the plant. The capsule sheds its outer coat to show the seeds. So many seeds help explain its spread beyond gardens. The sources give no time of year for flowers. Nor do they describe the flowers in detail. They give no width for full-grown plants in gardens.

In gardens, it likes full sun and light soil that drains well. It suits tropical and subtropical sites. But it can stand little winter cold. The evidence gives no exact hardiness zone. Wild plants grow in dry sites and moist woods. Records range from near sea level to 9,186 feet [2,800 metres]. Its wide range of sites raises concerns in new places. In Hawaii, one landscape planting spread across vast former cane land. It can form dense stands and compete with native plants. Weigh this risk of spread against the value of its leaves.

Local people gather it for dyes and folk medicine. The yellow sap dyes feathers, cotton, wool, and coarse hemp cloth. Records describe its use on skin problems and warts. They also note its use on lasting eye inflammation. These are folk uses, not proof that treatments help or are safe. Useful Tropical Plants lists no known uses as food. It also lists no known hazards. That does not prove it is safe. The evidence names no specific pests or diseases.