Ormosia spp.

Baracara

Kokriki

Family: Leguminosae

Other Common Names: Palo de matos (Puerto Rico), Amargo blanco (Panama), Chocho (Colombia), Peonio (Venezuela), Mekoe (Surinam), Tento, Jatobahy do igapo (Brazil).

Distribution: Most of the species are Amazonian but with extensions southward to Sao Paulo and northward to the West Indies, Central America, and southern Mexico.

The Tree: Varying with species, tree heights may reach 100 ft with diameters of 16 to 28 in.

The Wood:

General Characteristics: Heartwood pinkish to reddish, mostly salmon colored, sometimes yellowish brown, more or less streaked; not always distinct from the yellowish sapwood. Texture coarse to very coarse; luster usually medium; grain mostly irregular; feels harsh; without distinctive odor or taste.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) varying with species from 0.50 to 0.68; air-dry density 37 to 52 pcf.

Mechanical Properties: (First two sets of data based on the 2-in. standard; third set on the 1-in. standard.)

Moisture content Bending strength Modulus of elasticity Maximum crushing strength

(%) (Psi) (1,000 psi) (Psi)

Green (75) 13,510 2,060 6,520

12% 17,860 2,340 9,780

15% (34) 13,800 1,720 6,830

12% (24) 14,200 2,230 8,050

Janka side hardness 1,000 lb to 1,570 lb for dry material. Forest Products Laboratory toughness average for green and dry material is 151 in.-lb (5/8-in. specimen).

Drying and Shrinkage: Generally the wood air-dries very slowly. Checking and warp vary from slight to moderate. No information available on kiln schedules. Shrinkage from green to ovendry: radial 3.6%; tangential 7.4%; volumetric 12.0%.

Working Properties: For most species, reported to saw and machine easily with fair to good results; surfaces, however, are somewhat rough and difficult to finish.

Durability: Generally reported to be quite susceptible to attack by decay fungi; vulnerable to dry-wood termites; and prone to powder-post beetle attack (sapwood).

Preservation: The heartwood and sapwood respond moderately well to pressure- vacuum preservative treatments; incising should be used where end-grain exposure is low.

Uses: Furniture components, interior construction, general carpentry, and utility veneer.

Additional Reading: (24), (34), (71), (7,5)

M 150 282-3Logs are delivered to a sawmill in southern Nigeria. African mahogany

(mostly Khaya ivorensis) is in high demand on overseas markets. Export of logs fro

this region, as well as from most other tropical areas, is being restricted.

M 150 282-2Band mills in Ghana are designed to handle logs 5 feet and more in

diameter. Obeche or Wawa (Triplochiton scleroxylon) logs yield lumber favored for

joinery and millwork.

M 150 273-14In many areas of the tropics, fast-growing species are being introduced

future supplies of fuel wood and industrial wood. Batai (Albizia falcataria) is

a favored plantation species in the Philipines.

M 150 273-13 Shores spp. is still the major timber group harvested in Southeast

Asia. With modern chain saws, fellers no longer need scaffolding to get above larg

buttresses.

M 150 281 Felling of white lauan or almon (Shorea a;mon) with axes in the early

1900s in the Philippines. Most hardwood plywood now imported into the USA is

produced from species of Shorea.

[M 150 273-9Plywood mill in San Jose, Costa Rica, produces rotary-cut veneers mostly from banak (Virola spp.) and crabwood or cedro macho (Carapa guianensis). Logs trucked in from the Caribbean coast.]

M 150 273-21Mahot or Tauary (Couratari spp.) grows from Panama south to the Brazilian Amazon. Trunk diameters may exceed 4 feet above the stout buttresses. In tropical American moist forests, single species usually make up less than 5 percent of the stand volume.

M 150 273-18Trees in the tropics yield not only wood but a wide array of gums, oil

resins, tannins, edible fruits, medicinals, latex, fodder, and much more. The para

rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) at the end of its tapping life is used to produce

attractive wood suitable for furniture components.

M 150 272-14Some European markets still prefer hand hewn greenheart (Ocotea rodiaei

for heavy marine construction. Work is being done on a river landing in Guyana.