| OTHER COMMON NAMES: |
| Curtidor (Honduras), Nancito (Nicaragua), Pantano
(Panama), Carne asada, Trompillo (Venezuela), Cargamanto,
Casaco (Colombia), Suradanni (Surinam), Sangue-de-boi,
Urucurana (Brazil). |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Depending on the species, ranges from southern Mexico to southern Brazil including the Guianas, Peru, and
Colombia, also throughout the West Indies. Varies from abundant in seasonal marshes to relic occurrences in
old forests on heavy soils. |
| THE TREE |
| Large straight trees with spreading rounded buttresses; reaching heights of 130 ft; with trunk diameters of 3 ft or more, but more
commonly with diameters of 20 to 24 in. Stems are often clear to 70 ft. |
 |
| DRYING AND SHRINKAGE: |
| The wood air-seasons rapidly with only a moderate amount of warp and surface checking developing. No
data on kiln drying schedules available. Shrinkage from green to ovendry: radial 5.4%; tangential 11.7%;
volumetric 17.0%. |
| DURABILITY |
| The wood is rated moderately durable to very durable
in ground contact based on laboratory pure culture
evaluations as well as experience in railroad
tracks. Resistant to moderately resistant to subterranean
and dry-wood termites. |
| WORKING PROPERTIES: |
| The wood is reported to have good working properties
in all operations except planing which is rated
poor due to the characteristic roey grain. |
|
|
| EUPHORBIACEAE |
 |
| TRADE NAME: |
| SURADAN, PILON |
| COLOMBIAN NAME: |
| PANTANO |
| |
| WOOD PROPERTIES |
| GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS |
| Heartwood is a light reddish brown, to chocolate brown, to
dark red; sapwood is pinkish white and 1 to 2 in. wide. Luster
is low; texture moderately coarse; grain is interlocked; without
distinctive odor or taste; tangential surfaces have parabolic
markings due to variations in color at the margins of seasonal
growth increments. |
| Weigth: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.60 to
0.67; air- dry density 46 to 53 pcf. |
| PRESERVATION |
| Both heartwood and sapwood are reported to treat
moderately well using both open-tank and pressurevacuum
systems; test specimens had large endgrain
exposure. |
| USES |
| Heavy construction, railway crossties, marine
work, furniture, cabinet work, decorative veneers,
flooring, turnery, and joinery. |
| |
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