| | CITESwoodID: descriptions, illustrations, identification and information retrieval |
Nomenclature. Family: FABACEAE-CAESALPINIOIDEAE. Synonym(s): Caesalpinia echinata Lam., Guilandina echinata (Lam.) Spreng. Further trade and local names: arabutá, brasilete(o), ibirapiranga, pau-pernambuco, pau vermelho (BR); Rotholz, echtes Brasilholz (DE); pau Brazil, brazilwood (GB); legno del Brasile, legnorosso (IT); bois de Brésil, bois de fernambouc, pernambouc (FR). Code according to DIN EN 13556: CSEC.
CITES(EU) status of protection. Listed in Annex II(B).
Similar timbers. Easily mistaken for Coulteria platyloba (syn.: Caesalpinia platyloba), and similar to Brosimum rubescens.
Geographic distribution. Tropical South America (Northeast Brazil). Federal states of Bahia, Espirito Santo, Pernambuco.
Growth rings, colour, grain, etc. Growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically brown to yellow (orange brown when fresh, darkening upon exposure). Sapwood distinct from heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent. Wood heavy and hard (0.80–1.20 g/cm3). Interlocked grain present.
Hardwood vs softwood. Vessels (pores) present (= hardwood).
Vessels (pores). Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels (pores) in multiples; commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Vessels small to large (60–130–200); few to moderately numerous (15–30). Tyloses absent. Other deposits in heartwood vessels (pores) present (orange to dark brown).
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present; banded. Parenchyma bands exclusively marginal (or seemingly marginal); narrow. Other macroscopically visible types of axial parenchyma: vasicentric and aliform lozenge type.
Rays. Rays narrow. Large rays commonly less than 1 mm high.
Storied structure. Storied structure present, or absent. Tiers if present regular (horizontal or slightly inclined) to irregular; 3(–4) per axial millimetre.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood fluorescent (orange). Water extract fluorescent (brilliant yellow); colour shade of water extract red, or yellow (reddish-orange). Heartwood extractives leaching out when in contact with water (two color components visible: red and orange). Ethanol extract fluorescent (light yellowish); colour shade of ethanol extract yellow (light yellowish orange). Froth test negative. Splinter burns to full ash; colour of ash white to grey.
Additional information. • Transverse section + wood surface. Transverse section ca. 10x. Tangential surface, natural size. Radial surface, natural size. • Comparison Paubrasilia echinata vs Coulteria platyloba. Coulteria platyloba (Chakté viga). Paubrasilia echinata (Pau Brasil). The two species are virtually identical in colour, weight and macro structure. They can only be separated by means of the water extract fluorescence (vivid yellow in Pau Brasil, only weakly fluorescent in Chakté viga). • Comparison Paubrasilia echinata vs Brosimum rubescens. Paubrasilia echinata (Pau Brasil). Brosimum rubescens (Satiné). Paubrasilia echinata and Brosimum rubescens are easily separated on account of their different macrostructure, colour and fluorescence properties. In arts and crafts Satiné is the most frequent substitute for Pau Brasil.
The interactive key allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting specified attributes, summaries of attributes within groups of taxa, and geographical distribution.
Cite this publication as: ‘Richter, H.G., Gembruch, K., and Koch, G. 2014 onwards. CITESwoodID: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. In English, French, German, and Spanish. Version: 4th April 2023. www.delta-intkey.com’.
