Virola spp.

Banak

Baboen

Family: Myristicaceae

Other Common Names: Sangre, Palo de sangre (Guatemala, Honduras), Sangredrago (Nicaragua), Fruta dorada (Costa Rica), Miguelarillo (Panama), Sangre de toro (Colombia), Camaticaro (Venezuela), Baboen (Surinam), Bicuiba (Brazil), Cumala (Peru).

Distribution: Varying with species from Belize and Guatemala southward to Venezuela the Guianas, the Amazon region of northern Brazil, southern Brazil, and on the Pacific Coast, to Peru and Bolivia; common in swamp and marsh forests.

The Tree: May reach a height of 140 ft with trunk diameters of 5 ft, usually much shorter and only 2 to 3 ft in diameter. Boles are heavily buttressed, cylindrical, and clear for more than two-thirds of total height.

The Wood:

General Characteristics: On drying and exposure, heartwood becomes a pinkish golden brown or deep reddish brown; sapwood cream to tan color, not always sharply demarcated. Luster low to medium; texture rather coarse; grain straight; without distinctive odor or taste.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) varies considerably with species from about 0.36 to 0.61, commonly 0.44; air-dry density 27 to 46 pcf.

Mechanical Properties: (First set of data based on the 2-in. standard, the second set on the 2-cm standard, and the third set on the 1-in. standard.)

Moisture content Bending strength Modulus of elasticity Maximum crushing strength

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

Green (73) 5,600 1,640 2,390

12% 10,950 2,040 5,140

Green (42) 6,520 1,380 3,180

12% 11,450 1,610 5,950

12% (24) 7,780 1,280 4,740

Janka side hardness for dry material 450 to 640 lb. Forest Products Laboratory toughness average for green and dry material 61 in.-lb (5/8-in. specimen).

Drying and Shrinkage: Generally reported to be difficult to season with a strong tendency to warp and check as well as collapse and honeycomb; thick stock slow to dry. Kiln schedule T3-C2 suggested for 4/4 stock and T3-C1 for 8/4. Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 4.6%; tangential 8.8%; volumetric 13.7%.

Working Properties: Works easily with both hand and machine tools and produces a good finish, glues well; cuts well into veneers.

Durability: The wood is not resistant to attack by decay fungi and is very susceptible to attack by termites and other insects. Logs require prompt conversion or water storage to prevent damage by pinhole borers. Bacterial attack resulting in the formation of odoriferous compounds is also reported.

Preservation: The timber is reported to be easily impregnated with preservatives using either pressure-vacuum or open-tank systems.

Uses: Veneer and plywood, particleboard and fiberboard, furniture components, boxes and crates, light construction, general carpentry, millwork. Oil is extracted from seeds of Virola and used in soaps and candles.

Additional Reading: (24), (42), (46), (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.