Alstonia scholaris (Indian Devil Tree)

Native to tropical and subtropical Asia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and northern Australia, this evergreen tree can reach about 200 feet tall. Its small white or cream flowers are strongly fragrant. The soft, lightweight wood has been used for school blackboards, carvings, and paper, but is vulnerable to decay and termites. Its milky sap can irritate the skin, and the leaves are reported to be poisonous if eaten. In southern Florida, it has naturalized and invades wooded habitats and disturbed sites. Photographed in Barranquilla, Colombia, where it is planted as a street tree.