Ceiba
Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra) is
a large tree that grows to
66 m (200 ft) in height
with a straight cylindrical
bole 13 to 20 m (40 to
60 ft) long. Trunk diam-
eters of 2 m (6 ft) or more
are common. Ceiba grows
in West Africa, from the
Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone to Liberia, Nigeria, and the
Congo region. A related species is lupuna (C. samauma)
from South America.
Sapwood and heartwood are not clearly demarcated. The
wood is whitish, pale brown, or pinkish brown, often with
yellowish or grayish streaks. The texture is coarse, and the
grain is interlocked or occasionally irregular. Ceiba is very
soft and light; density of air-dried wood is 320 kg m–3
(20 lb ft–3). In strength, the wood is comparable with
basswood (Tilia americana). Ceiba dries rapidly without
marked deterioration. It is difficult to saw cleanly and dress
smoothly because of the high percentage of tension wood. It
provides good veneer and is easy to nail and glue. Ceiba is
very susceptible to attack by decay fungi and insects. It re-
quires rapid harvest and conversion to prevent deterioration.
Treatability, however, is rated as good.
Ceiba is available in large sizes, and its low density com-
bined with a rather high degree of dimensional stability
make it ideal for pattern and corestock. Other uses include
blockboard, boxes and crates, joinery, and furniture
components.
Chewstick
(see Manni)
Courbaril, Jatoba
The genus Hymenaea
consists of about 25 spe-
cies that occur in the West
Indies and from southern
Mexico through Central
America into the Amazon
basin of South America.
The best-known and most
important species is
H. courbaril, which occurs throughout the range of the
genus. Courbaril is often called jatoba in Brazil.
Sapwood of courbaril is gray–white and usually quite wide.
The heartwood, which is sharply differentiated from the
sapwood, is salmon red to orange–brown when freshly
cut and becomes russet or reddish brown when dried. The
heartwood is often marked with dark streaks. The texture
is medium to rather coarse, and the grain is mostly inter-
locked. The wood is hard and heavy (about 800 kg m–3durable and resistant to preservative treatment. Drying
may be difficult, but with care, the wood dries well.
These woods are used in turnery, flooring, furniture
components, cabinetwork, and decorative veneers.
Brown Silverballi
(see Kaneelhart)
Bubinga
(see Benge)
Bulletwood
(see Balata)
Carapa
(see Andiroba)
Cativo
Cativo (Prioria co‑
paifera) is one of the few
tropical American spe-
cies that occur in abun-
dance and often in nearly
pure stands. Commercial
stands are found in Ni-
caragua, Costa Rica,
Panama, and Colombia.Sapwood may be very pale pink or distinctly reddish, and
it is usually wide. In trees up to 76 cm (30 in.) in diameter,
heartwood may be only 18 cm (7 in.) in diameter. The grain
is straight and the texture of the wood is uniform, compa-
rable with that of true mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla).
On flat-sawn surfaces, the figure is rather subdued as a re-
sult of exposure of the narrow bands of parenchyma tissue.
The wood can be dried rapidly and easily with very little
degrade. Dimensional stability is very good—practically
equal to that of true mahogany. Cativo is classified as a non-
durable wood with respect to decay and insects. It may con-
tain appreciable quantities of gum. In wood that has been
properly dried, however, the aromatics in the gum
are removed and there is no difficulty in finishing.
Considerable quantities of cativo are used for interior
woodwork, and resin-stabilized veneer is an important pat-
tern material. Cativo is widely used for furniture and cabi-
net parts, lumber core for plywood, picture frames, edge
banding for doors, joinery, and millwork.
Cedro
(see Spanish-Cedar)
Cedro Macho
(see Andiroba)
Cedro-Rana
(see Tornillo)
General Technical Report FPL–GTR– 190