Pradosia spp.

Chupon

Family: Sapotaceae

Other Common Names: Chupon, Chupon torito, Toco (Venezuela), Abihy, Burahem, Paracuhuba doce (Brazil).

Distribution: Amazon basin and extending into the Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador.

The Tree: Attains a height of 100 ft and diameters of about 40 in.

The Wood:

General Characteristics: Heartwood yellowish-or grayish-brown with more or less reddish cast; sapwood narrow, yellowish or grayish, not always distinct from the heartwood. Texture fine to medium, uniform; grain usually straight, sometimes interlocked; luster low; without characteristic odor but taste sometimes bitter or astringent.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.68; air-dry density 52 pcf.

Mechanical Properties: (2-in. standard)

Moisture content Bending strength Modulus of elasticity Maximum crushing strength

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

Green (73) 11,420 1,740 4,360

12% 17,770 2,320 7,660

Janka side hardness 1,440 lb for green material and 1,880 lb for dry. Forest Products Laboratory toughness average for green and dry material is 230 in.-lb (5/8-in. specimen).

Drying and Shrinkage: Drying is rapid but may result in severe checking and moderate warp; a reduced drying rate may minimize degrade. No information on kiln schedules Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 4.4%; tangential 10.5%; volumetric 14.8%.

Working Properties: Works easily and finishes to a smooth surface. Good steam-bending properties.

Durability: Heartwood is rated durable in test exposures to white-rot and brown- rot organisms, but is not suggested for uses where high durability is required.

Preservation: No information available, but is reported to be resistant to moisture absorption.

Uses: General construction, heavy-duty flooring, also suggested for tight cooperage, tool handles.

Additional Reading: (56), (73)

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.

M 150 272-15 In the highlands of El Salvador, ocote pine (Pinus ococarpa) is cut in

boards by pit sawing. Finished lumber is sent down the mountainside on the backs o

unattended burros.

M 150 272-15In the highlands of El Salvador, ocote pine (Pinus oocarpa) is cut into

boards by pit sawing. Finished lumber is sent down the mountainside on the backs o

unattended burros.