Wood Handbook, Wood as an Engineering Material

In its areas of growth, pau marfim is used for much the

same purposes as are sugar maple and birch in the United

States. Introduced to the U.S. market in the late 1960s, pau

marfim has been very well received and is especially es-

teemed for turnery.

Peroba, White

(see Peroba de Campos)

Peroba de Campos

Peroba de campos (Pa‑

ratecoma peroba), also

referred to as white peroba,

grows in the coastal forests

of eastern Brazil, ranging

from Bahia to Rio de Ja-

neiro. It is the only species

in the genus Paratecoma.

The heartwood varies in color but is generally shades of

brown with tendencies toward olive and red. The sapwood

is a yellowish gray and is clearly defined from the heart-

wood. The texture is relatively fine and approximates that

of birch (Betula). The grain is commonly interlocked, with

a narrow stripe or wavy figure. The wood machines easily;

however, particular care must be taken in planing to prevent

excessive grain tearing of quartered surfaces. There is some

evidence that the fine dust from machining operations may

produce allergic responses in certain individuals. Density

of air-dried wood averages about 738 kg m–3 (46 lb ft–3).

Peroba de campos is heavier than teak (Tectona grandis) or

white oak (Quercus alba), and it is proportionately stronger

than either of these species. The heartwood of peroba de

campos is rated as very durable with respect to decay and

difficult to treat with preservatives.

In Brazil, peroba de campos is used in the manufacture of

fine furniture, flooring, and decorative paneling. The prin-

cipal use in the United States is shipbuilding, where peroba

de campos serves as substitute for white oak (Quercus alba)

for all purposes except bent members.

Peroba Rosa

Peroba rosa is the common

name applied to a num-

ber of similar species in

the genus Aspidosperma.

These species occur in

southeastern Brazil and

parts of Argentina.

The heartwood is a dis-

tinctive rose-red to yellowish, often variegated or streaked

with purple or brown, and becomes brownish yellow to

dark brown upon exposure to air; the heartwood is often

not demarcated from the yellowish sapwood. The texture

is fine and uniform, and the grain is straight to irregular.

The wood is moderately heavy; weight of air-dried wood is

752 kg m–3 (47 lb ft–3). Strength properties are comparable

with those of U.S. oak (Quercus). The wood dries with little

checking or splitting. It works with moderate ease, and it

glues and finishes satisfactorily. The heartwood is resistant

to decay fungi but susceptible to dry-wood termite attack.

Although the sapwood takes preservative treatment moder-

ately well, the heartwood resists treatment.

Peroba is suited for general construction work and is fa-

vored for fine furniture and cabinetwork and decorative

veneers. Other uses include flooring, interior woodwork,

sashes and doors, and turnery.

Pilon

The two main species

of pilon are Hieronyma

alchorneoides and H.

laxiflora, also referred

to as suradan. These spe-

cies range from southern

Mexico to southern Brazil

including the Guianas, Peru,

and Colombia. Pilon species are also found throughout the

West Indies.

The heartwood is a light reddish brown to chocolate brown

or sometimes dark red; the sapwood is pinkish white. The

texture is moderately coarse and the grain interlocked. The

wood air-dries rapidly with only a moderate amount of

warp and checking. It has good working properties in all

operations except planing, which is rated poor as a result of

the characteristic interlocked grain. The strength of pilon

is comparable with that of true hickory (Carya), and the

density of air-dried wood ranges from 736 to 849 kg m–3

(46 to 53 lb ft–3). Pilon is rated moderately to very durable

in ground contact and resistant to moderately resistant to

subterranean and dry-wood termites. Both heartwood and

sapwood are reported to be treatable with preservatives by

both open tank and pressure vacuum processes.

Pilon is especially suited for heavy construction, railway

crossties, marinework, and flooring. It is also used for furni-

ture, cabinetwork, decorative veneers, turnery, and joinery.

Piquia

Piquia is the common name

generally applied to spe-

cies in the genus Caryocar.

This genus is distributed

from Costa Rica southward

into northern Colombia and

from the upland forest of

the Amazon valley to east-

ern Brazil and the Guianas.

Chapter 2 Characteristics and Availability of Commercially Important Woods