Centrolobium spp.

Arariba Porcupine Wood

Canary Wood

Family: Leguminosae

Other Common Names: Amarillo guayaquil (Panama, Ecuador), Guayacan hobo, Balaustre

(Colombia, Venezuela), Ararauba, Ararauva (Brazil), Morosimo (Paraguay).

Distribution: Five or six species of rather infrequent occurrence from Panama to Ecuador and southern Brazil.

The Tree: A medium-sized to large well-formed tree; generally up to 100 ft high with diameters of 30 to 50 in.; commonly to heights of 40 ft and diameters to 16 in. Narrow buttresses to heights of 3 ft in some species.

The Wood:

General Characteristics: Heartwood yellow or orange, typically variegated, sometimes "rainbow hued," usually changing to red or brown; rather sharply demarcated from the yellowish sapwood. Luster medium to high; texture fine to rather coarse; grain straight to irregular; some species without odor or taste, others with distinctive odor and sometimes with perceptive taste.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) varies with species from 0.61 to 0.69; air-dry density 46 to 53 pcf.

Mechanical Properties: (First set of data based on 2-cm standard, second set on 1-i

standard, and third on 2-in. standard.)

Moisture content Bending strength Modulus of elasticity Maximum crushing strength

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

Green (30) 14,200 1,500 5,900

15% 16,800 NA 7,900

12% (24) 18,600 2,130 9,550

12% (44) 17,200 2,440 NA

Janka side hardness 1,030 lb for dry wood. Amsler toughness 288 in.-lb at 15% moisture content (2-cm specimen).

Drying and Shrinkage: Reported to have a moderate drying rate with little to no warp or checking. Kiln schedule T6-D2 is suggested for 4/4 stock of C. ochroxylon and T3-D1 for 8/4. Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 2.4%; tangential 5.6%; volumetric 8.4%.

Working Properties: The wood is easy to machine with all tools; finishing very smoothly but there may be some fuzzy grain on planing of radial surfaces.

Durability: The wood is reported to be highly resistant to attack by decay fungi, termites and other insects, and marine borers (Teredo).

Preservation: impregnation with wood preservatives is only moderate using pressure-vacuum systems, absorption and penetration is negligible using the open-tank method.

Uses: Heavy construction, railroad crossties, fine furniture and cabinet work, flooring, ship components (planking, keel, decking, and trim), turnery, decorative veneers, cooperage.

Additional Reading: (24), (30), (44), (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.]