Nectandra spp.

Canelo

Laurel

Family: Lauraceae

Other Common Names: Aguacatillo (Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica), Laurel (Colombia, Venezuela), Silverballi (Guyana), Pisi (Surinam), Canela (Brazil), Ayui-y, Laurel (Argentina). A large number of species make up this group.

Distribution: Widely distributed throughout tropical America.

The Tree: Varies with species, may reach a height of 100 ft; commonly up to 28 in. in diameter, occasionally to 40 in. Boles are straight and cylindrical, sometimes buttressed.

The Wood:

General Characteristics: Heartwood brownish yellow with a green cast, or olive to light olive brown and in some species becoming blackish brown; transition to whitish or brownish sapwood often gradual. Texture mostly medium to rather coarse; luster usually satiny or silky; grain straight to roey; odor spicy, taste mild to pronounced.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) varying with species, mostly 0.43 to 0.61; air-dry density 32 to 46 pcf.

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

Moisture content Bending strength Modulus of elasticity Maximum crushing strength

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

Green (74) 10,440 1,540 5,020

12% 14,230 1,650 7,260

Green (30) 12,800 1,900 5,330

15% 17,100 NA 8,500

Green (30) 10,900 1,370 4,870

15% 12,400 NA 6,620

Janka side hardness 930 lb for green material and 1,060 lb at 12% moisture content. Forest Products Laboratory toughness average for green and dry material is 123 in.-lb. (5/8-in. specimen).

Drying and Shrinkage: The wood air-dries at a fast to moderate rate with little or degrade due to warping or checking. No information available on dry kiln schedules Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 3.4%; tangential 6.0%; volumetric 9.8%.

Working Properties: The wood has excellent working properties with either machine or hand tools, dresses to a smooth finish. Glues and paints well.

Durability: May vary with species, generally rated durable in resistance to attack by decay fungi but rather susceptible to attack by dry-wood termites.

Preservation: Heartwood is extremely resistant to moisture absorption, comparable to teak and is thus difficult to impregnate.

Uses: Furniture and cabinet work, ship decking and boat planking, flooring, millwork veneers and plywood, and general carpentry.

Additional Reading: (30), (71), (72), (74)

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.