Machaerium spp.

Caviuna

Pau Ferro

Family: Leguminosae

Other Common Names: Capote, Siete cueros (Colombia), Cascaron (Venezuela), Chiche (Ecuador), Tuseque, Morado (Bolivia), Jacaranda, Jacaranda pardo (Brazil).

Distribution: The species of this group are widely distributed throughout tropical America but are most abundant in Brazil, with commercial sources in the southeast.

The Tree: Medium-sized, rarely large trees.

The Wood:

General Characteristics: Heartwood brown to dark violet brown, often streaked, rather waxy; sapwood whitish, grayish, or yellowish. Luster medium to high; texture fine coarse; grain straight to irregular; without distinctive taste but sometimes walnut scented. Wood dust may cause dermatitis.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.65 to 0.75; air- dry density 49 to 57 pcf.

Mechanical Properties: (2-cm standard)

Moisture content Bending strength Modulus of elasticity Maximum crushing strength

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

Green (30) 14,200 1,580 5,670

15% 17,000 NA 8,000

Green (30) 14,000 1,240 5,550

15% 17,500 NA 8,300

Janka side hardness for green material 1,450 to 1,780 lb. Amsler toughness 282 to 346 in.-lb at 15% moisture content (2-cm specimen).

Drying and Shrinkage: No information on drying characteristics available. Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 2.6%; tangential 6.6%; volumetric 10.0%. These values are exceptionally low for a wood of this high density.

Working Properties: Reported to be fair to excellent.

Durability: Heartwood highly resistant to attack by decay fungi.

Preservation: No information available.

Uses: Fine furniture, decorative veneers, turnery, specialty items, and cabinet work. Generally useful for the same purposes as Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra).

Additional Reading: (30), (47), (56)

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.