‖gifboom, noun

/ˈxəfbʊəm/
Forms:
Formerly also giftboom.
Origin:
Afrikaans, South African DutchShow more Afrikaans (earlier South African Dutch giftboom), gif poison + boom tree.
Any of several toxic species of tree or shrub harmful to both people and animals: a. Hyaenanchae globosa of the Euphorbiaceae. b. Acokanthera oppositifolia and A. oblongifolia of the Apocynaceae; also called Bushman’s poison.
1795 C.R. Hopson tr. of C.P. Thunberg’s Trav. I. 156With the poison of serpents, and the juice of the sideroxylum toxiferum (gift-boom, or poison tree) the Hottentots poison their arrows.
1809 J. Mackrill Diary. 62Sideroxylon toxiferum (Gift boom or poison tree) used by the Natives to poison their arrows.
1886 G.A. Farini Through Kalahari Desert 338The colony Bushmen that I was brought up amongst..use the milk of the gift boom (poison-tree) that grows on the mountains along the Orange River.
1937 Handbk for Farmers (Dept of Agric. & Forestry) 470Gifboom, Poison Bush, Poison Tree, (Apocynaceae) Acokanthera spectabilis..Acokanthera venenata..The fruit is about 4 times less toxic than the leaves.
1973 E. Prov. Herald 28 Feb. 4In the dry sub-tropical route was found migration of the gifboom, melkbos (or spurge), honey locust, blackthorn and skilpadbos (or vygie).
1992 P. Cullinan Robert Jacob Gordon 122 (caption)The gifboom or ‘poison tree’ (Euphorbia virosa).
Hyaenanchae globosa of the Euphorbiaceae.
Acokanthera oppositifolia and A. oblongifolia of the Apocynaceae; also called Bushman’s poison.
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Afrikaans
gifbol, nounn.giffie, nounn.
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