Re: Monday answer on Tuesday.
Answer: Strychnine Tree. (Strychnos nux-vomica) Logania Family, Loganiaceae. A violent muscle stimulant with a bitter taste that at ratios of 400,000 to 1 in water can be tasted. In heavy doses will take ten to twenty minutes for full effect but the trip there is unpleasant. Strychnine is nasty. The berries (that contain the seeds) were imported to Europe and used on rats to help rid the plague. Before that, when the devious Cleo thought about suicide she tried strychnine out on animals and slaves. Reportedly after witnessing the convulsions, pain and contorted positions at death she opted for the asp. Strychnine causes convulsions to the point that when administered to a person the muscles cannot be controlled and most people fold double. In smaller dosages (like Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones) the person locks up, can�t move, but can see and hear all going on about them. Some say Mr. Richards eventually returned to the living, but�..? When the strychnine victim dies, by asphyxiation or exhaustion, they remain in the position at time of death�instant rigor mortis. For that reason an animal usually is often in a splayed leg �sawhorse� stance. This is telltale as to cause of passing. Today, in tamed form, strychnine is used for muscle stimulation, as an anti depressant, and because of the muscle stimulation serves as a cure for intestinal blockage.
Dale answered quince, but not my selection. However, since I like quince jelly I looked it up. The Quince (Cydonia oblonga) is the sole member of the genus Cydonia and native to warm-temperate southwest Asia in the Caucasus region. It is a small deciduous tree, growing 5-8 m tall and 4-6 m wide, related to apples and pears, and like them has a pome fruit, which is bright golden yellow when mature, pear-shaped, 7-12 cm long and 6-9 cm broad. For lots more check �quince� in any search engine.
For Charles, it just goes to show that there are (darkly) gray areas in responding to answers. I wouldn�t think that my answer, strychnine, would be something most people contemplate with the morning coffee but, of course, I don�t know the situation.
Steve may have come closest this week. The berries of the strychnine tree initially show with green flowers, and the berries have white centers and over time the outside turns reddish/orange.
