Two varieties of brosimum

BROSIMTJM spp. (Alicastrum group)

Capomo, ojoche, ramon

1-HIS group comprises a number

! of closely related species occurring from southern Mexico through Central America into the Amazon Basin of Peru. The best known species in Latin America is B. alicastrum, and it contributes its name to this group.

Both sapwood and heartwood are a uniform yellowish white, except around knots and other defects. where the wood is a distinct red. Starch is common throughout the radius and this consequently may be considered as a "sapwood" species. Texture is fine I grain is straight to shallowly interlocked. The wood weighs about 50 lbs. per cubic foot.

Because of the abundance of starch, the wood is rated as nondurable with respect to attack by insects and decay.

No data are available with regard to seasoning and kiln-drying, although it is expected they would be somewhat similar to those of hard maple. Strength data are very limited, but

BROSIMUM spp. (Utile group)

Sande, Cocal

Brosimum utile, which ranges from Costa Rica to Pacific Ecuador. lends its specific name to this group of Brosimum woods that are appreciably lighter in weight and coarser textured than the Brosimum woods comprising the alicastrum group. Several related species of this group occur in the Amazon Basin.

Story at a Glance

Originating f rom southern Mexico to as far South as Peru these two groupsof Brosimum, Alicastrum and utile, differ markedly from each other.

indicate that these species are appreciably stronger than other tropical species of equal density. Shrinkage data based on one tree of B. alicastrum show it to be equal to hard maple with respect to inservice conditions of swelling and shrinkage.

The high density coupled with silica accumulation make this wood difficult to machine with ordinary machine tools. Brosimum uleanum was observed being used on a relatively large scale in the manufacture of sewing machine cabinets in Peru. In this instance the figured wood (wavy grain) was sliced for use in face veneer and the straight-grained wood was utilized for structural members. Seemingly little difficulty was experienced in utilization and the net effect was a very handsome cabinet.

Logs showing wavy grain should find ready acceptance in the fancy ve.neer trade if they are protected against degrade through stain and insect attack. Its high bending strength values suggest utilization as handles of impact tools.

Considerable volumes of standing timber occur in the forests of Pacific Ecuador and Colombia where the vernacular name is sande. This is also the name used in the U.S. trade. Practically all of the exportation of sande is from Pacific Ecuador and Colombia.

The sapwood and heartwood show no distinction, being a uniform yellowish white to yellowish brown or light brown. The pores are moderately coarse and evenly distributed. The grain is straight to widely and shallowly interlocked. The wood rays generally show prominently on quartered surfaces because of their darker colored contents. In many respects, sande has much the same appearance as white senya (Parashorea plicata) from Sabah. The utile series consists of "sapwood" species, just as the alicastrum series of species does. The wood averages about 33 lbs. per cubic foot.

The lumber seasons rapidly and easily with little or no degrade, except for material containing tension wood, which is always subject to warp degrade.

The wood is nondurable with respect to stain, decay, and insect attack and care must be exercised to prevent degrade from these agents.

Strength data for sande are too limited to permit comparison with woods of similar density such as banak, although it is suspected that they would be rather similar.

Normal wood of sande machines easily, takes stains, and finishes readily, and presents no gluing problems.

Lumber containing tension wood has been prevalent in some shipments and is chiefly responsible for machining difficulties, such as raised or fuzzy grain, and the rapid dulling and burning of saws due to the pinching effect when stresses are released in the wood during sawing. These difficulties have led to the statement that the wood contains silica and that carbidetipped saws are to be used for most economical conversion. Chemical analysis made on a representative number of samples of sande showed a maximum silica content of only 0.01 percent of the ovendry weight of the wood. This amount of silica can occur in any species and cannot be held responsible for machining difficulties.

Tension wood may be a very important factor in the conversion of timbers in the density class of sande, but the deleterious effects can be eliminated or at least minimized by proper selection of the trees in the forest. In this density class, trees showing a definite lean or an obvious eccentric bole are best left in the forest.

Sande should find utilization for many of the same purposes as banak, and with the current demand for molding species, it should assist in relieving the ever-increasing wood demand of this industry.

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