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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing References Regions of Distribution Response to Hand Tools Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Silica Content Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Identification Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Brosimum alicastrum Trade Name Capomo Family Name Moraceae Common Names A-agl, Apomo, Ash, Breadnut, Breadnut of Jamaica, Breadnut tree, Campono, Capome, Capomo, Charo, Feguo, Guaimaro, Guaimaro comestible, Guayamero, Hairi, Hairi-te, Hoja ramon, Huje, Huji, Jauri, Juandiego, Jushapo, Juskapu, Lan-fe-la, Manata, Mare, Masi, Masicaron, Masico, Masiquilla, Mastate, Mesica, Moho, Moj-cuji, Mojote, Moju, Mondongo, Moussara, Muiratinga, Murure, Nazareno, Ojite, Ojoche, Ojoche blanco, Ojochillo, Ojuste, Oox, Osh, Ox, Oxitl, Oxotzin, Pasita, Ramon, Ramon blanco, Ramon de Mejico, Ramon de Mexico, Ramoon, Samaritano Juan Diego, Satine, Talcoite, Tillo, Tlatacoyic, Tonaco, Tunumi-tajan, Ujuste Regions of Distribution Central America, Latin America, Oceania and S.E. Asia Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela Common Uses Boxes and crates, Building construction, Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Construction, Decorative veneer, Desks, Domestic flooring, Factory construction, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Flooring, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Furniture, Handles, Handles: woodworking tools, Heavy construction, Light construction, Rustic furniture, Shafts/Handles, Sub-flooring, Tables , Tool handles, Utility furniture, Vehicle parts, Veneer, Veneer: decorative Environmental Profile Widespread Rare in parts of its natural range (population is at risk) Globally secure Data source is Nature Conservancy Abundant Distribution Overview Caribbean, or Mexico and Central America to tropical South America. It is an edible-seeded tree. Its Spanish name is ramon and the seeds, leaves and twigs are prized as stock feed. Heartwood Color Brown Yellow to golden-yellow to orange Yellow to golden-yellow to orange White to cream White to cream Reddish brown Reddish brown Yellowish white Pale brown Pale brown Dark red around knots and other defects Dark red around knots and other defects. Sapwood Color White to yellow Color not distinct from heartwood Grain Straight Figure Interlocked Even Stripe (figure) Irregular Mottle Straight Interlocked Striped figure Straight to irregular Shallowly interlocked Mottled or streaked figure sometimes Texture Coarse Fine Fine to medium Luster Lustrous Low Pronounced Natural Durability Perishable Non-durable Susceptible to attack from powder post (Lyctid & Bostrychid) beetles Perishable Non durable Vulnerable to brown-rot and white-rot fungi Susceptible to attack from termites (Isoptera) Suceptible to attack by fungi and other wood destroying insects Resistant to attack from powder post (Lyctid & Bostrychid) beetles High starch content also promotes conditions for insect attack Odor No specific smell or taste Silica Content Likely to have significant impact on machining Contains high levels of silica (> 0.68%) Kiln Schedules Drying (speed) is fast Drying Defects Moderate twist/warp Ease of Drying Rapidly Moderate Easy Air dries moderately to easily Tree Identification Bole/stem form is buttressed Bole/stem form is straight Bole/stem form is cylindrical Comments Cooked seeds are edible General finishing qualities are rated as good Blunting Effect Blunting effect on machining is moderate Boring Easy Cutting Resistance Cutting resistance with dry wood is moderate Mortising Easy to mortise Sharp cutting edges are necessary for easy mortise Finishes well Moulding Easy to mould Poor moulding results It is easy to mould the wood but very sharp cutting edges are required. Nailing Difficult to nail Planing Easy to plane Requires specially tipped cutters Response to Hand Tools Easy to machine Moderate working qualities Sanding Good sanding finish Easy to sand Screwing Good screwing properties Turning Good results Easy to turn Good results Veneering Qualities Suitable for slicing Often quartered into veneers to displays its cross-ripple figure Easy to cut Diifficult to veneer Steam Bending Good Polishing Polishes well without grain filling Excellent results Strength Properties Density (dry weight) = 46-52 lbs/cu. ft. Dnesity (dry wieght) = 53-60 lbs/cu. ft. Shrinkage, Tangential = fairly large Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = medium Max. crushing strength = high Density (dry weight) = 61-67 lbs/cu.ft. Density (dry weight) = 38-45 lbs/cu. ft. Bending strength (MOR) = very high Bending strength (MOR) = medium Bending strength (MOR) = high Shrinkage, Tangential = moderate Resists denting and marring Heavy Hardness = medium Hardness (side grain) = medium Hardness (side grain) = hard Density = high Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high Bending strength (MOR) = very low Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 14598 19034 psi Density 53 lbs/ft3 Hardness 1774 lbs Maximum Crushing Strength 6899 9509 psi Stiffness 1790 1979 1000 psi Specific Gravity 0.59 Weight 57 52 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 8 % Volumetric Shrinkage 15 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 1026 1338 kg/cm2 Density 849 kg/m3 Hardness 804 kg Maximum Crushing Strength 485 668 kg/cm2 Stiffness 125 139 1000 kg/cm2 Specific Gravity 0.59 Weight 913 833 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 8 % References Belize,1946,42 Secondary Hardwood Timbers of British Honduras,British Honduras Forest Department Bulletin,No.1 Bodig, J. and B. A. Jayne. 1982. Mechanics of Wood and Wood Composites. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York. Brown, W.H.,1969,Properties and uses of Tropical hardwoods in the United Kingdom. Part 1,Nonstructural properties and uses.,Conference on Tropical hardwoods SC-5/TN-5, Syracuse University CAOBA International, San Francisco, California. 1993. Personal Communication. Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison. Constantine, Jr., A. J. 1959. Know Your Woods - A Complete Guide to Trees, Woods, and Veneers. Revised Edition. Revised by H.J. Hobbs. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Davis, E.M.,1949,Exploratory tests in machining and related properties of 15 Tropical,American Hardwoods,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison,Report,No.1744 Erfurth, T., Rusche, H.,1976,The Marketing of Tropical Wood B. Wood Species from S. American Tropical,Moist Forests,F.A.O. Forestry Department Flores Rodriguez, L.J.,1969,Description Caracteristicas y usos de 25 Maderas tropicales,Mexicanas,Camera Nacional de la Industria de la Construccion Serie Maderas de Mexico Fors, A.J.,1965,Maderas Cubanas,Inst. Nac. Ref. Agraria La Habara Harrar, E.S.,1942,Some Physical Properties of Modern Cabinet Woods 3. Directional and Volume,Shrinkage,Tropical Woods,9(71, pp26-32 Kribs, D.A.,1950,Commercial and Foreign Woods on the American Market (a manual to their,structure, identification, uses and distribution,U.S.A. Penn. State College, Tropical Woods Laboratory Marshall, R.C.,1934,Trees of Trinidad and Tobago,Government Printer Port of Spain Trinidad Marshall, R.C.,1939,Silviculture of the trees of Trinidad and Tobago - British West Indies,O.U.P.,London Pennington, T.D., Sarukhan, J.,1968,Manual para la Identificacion de campo de los Principales Arboles,Tropicales de Mexico,Inst. Nac. Inv. For. Mexico Perpetua Hardwoods. Sea Star Trading Co. - Purveyors of Fine Wood. Newport, Oregon. Personal Communication, 1993. Record, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1940,American Woods of the Family Moraceae,Tropical Woods,8(61,pp11-54 Record, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1943,Timbers of the New World,Yale University Press Saks, E.V.,1954,Tropical Hardwoods for veneer Production in Mexico,Caribbean Forester,15(3&4, pp112-9 Simpson, W.T. and J.A. Sagoe. 1991. Relative Drying Times of 650 Tropical Woods : Estimation by Green Moisture Content, Specific Gravity, and Green Weight Density. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-71, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. Swabey, C.,1941,The Principal Timbers of Jamaica,Department of Science and Agriculture Jamaica Bulletin No.29 Takahashi, A.,1975,Compilation of data on the Mechanical Properties of Foreign Woods (Part 2,Central and South America,Shimane University, Japan, Research Report on Foreign Wood No.4 WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing - Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center-Plants Programme, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.