| OTHER COMMON NAMES: |
| Cuapinol, Guapinol (Mexico), Guapinol (Central America),
Locust, Kawanari (Guyana), Rode lokus (Surinam), Algarrobo
(Spanish America), Jatahy, Jatoba (Brazil). |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Southern Mexico, throughout Central America and the West Indies to northern Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru.
The tree's best development is on ridges or slopes and high riverbanks. |
| THE TREE |
| May grow to a height of 130 ft with trunk diameters of 5 to 6 ft; usually less than 100 ft high with diameters of 2 to 4 ft. Boles are
well formed, often clear for 40 to 80 ft, and basally swollen or buttressed in large trees. |
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| DRYING AND SHRINKAGE: |
| The wood is rated as slightly difficult to air-dry; it seasons at a fast to moderate rate with only slight checking
and warp. Kiln schedule T3-C2 is suggested for 4/4 stock and T3-C1 for 8/4. Shrinkage green to ovendry:
radial 4.5%; tangential 8.5%; volumetric 12.7%-values are low for a wood of this density. |
| DURABILITY |
| Laboratory evaluations rate the wood very resistant
to brown-rot and white-rot fungi; actual field exposure
trials also rate the wood as very durable.
Heartwood is also rated very resistant to dry-wood
termites; little resistance to marine borers. |
| WORKING PROPERTIES: |
| The wood is moderately difficult to saw and machine largely
because of its high density, but except in planing it can be machined
to a smooth surface. The wood is somewhat difficult to
plane because of the interlocked grain. It is easy to glue and
finish satisfactorily; steam-bending properties comparable to
white oak. |
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| LEGUMINOSAE |
 |
| TRADE NAME: |
| JATOBA, COUBARIL |
| COLOMBIAN NAME: |
| ALGARROBO |
| |
| WOOD PROPERTIES |
| GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS |
| Heartwood is salmon red to orange brown when fresh, becoming
russet to reddish brown when seasoned; often marked with
dark streaks. Sapwood is usually wide; white, gray, or pinkish.
Texture is medium to rather coarse; grain mostly interlocked;
golden luster; without distinctive odor or taste. |
| Weigth: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.71 to
0.82; air- dry density 52 to 61 pcf. |
| PRESERVATION |
| Heartwood is not treatable using open-tank or pressure-
vacuum systems. Sapwood, however, is responsive. |
| USES |
| Tool handles and other applications where good shock resistance
is needed, steam-bent parts, flooring, turnery, furniture and
cabinet work, railroad crossties tree-nails, gear cogs, wheel rims,
and other specialty items. Tree exudes a rosin-like gum known
commercially as South American copal. Seed pods contain an
edible pulp. |
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