barbasco

Meanings

1. A plant (Lonchocarpus urucu, now Deguelia rufescens var. urucu) native to parts of northern South America used as a poison for fishing and an insecticide.
2. An evergreen (Jacquinia barbasco, now Jacquinia arborea)
3. One of several inedible wild Mexican yams (Dioscorea mexicana and Dioscorea composita) from which progesterone can be synthesized.

Etymology

From American Spanish barbasco, perhaps alteration of Spanish verbasco, varbasco (“mullein”), from Latin verbascum.