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Blunting Effect
Boring
Carving
Certified Source
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 Drying Rate
Kiln Schedules
Luster
Mortising
Moulding
Movement in Service
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Polishing
Product Sources
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Abrasion
Resistance to Impregnation
Resistance to Splitting
Response to Hand Tools
Sanding
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Screwing
Steam Bending
Strength Properties
Synonyms
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Identification
Tree Size
Turning
Veneering Qualities

Scientific Name
Bucida buceras

Trade Name
Jucaro

Family Name
Combretaceae

Synonyms
Buceras bucida


Wood Image 1

Common Names
Amarillo, Black olive, Bois gli gli, Bois gli-gli, Bois gri gri, Bois gri-gri, Bois gris gris, Bois gris-gris, Brier tree, Bucaro, Bucida, Bullet tree, Bullet wood, Bullet-tree, Bully tree, Bully-tree, Bullywood, Cacho de toro, Campeche, Caracoli, Caracoli de Puerto Rico, Chaipas, Gregory wood, Gregre, Gri gri, Grignon, Gris gris, Gris-gris de montagnes, Guaraguao, Jucara comun, Jucarillo, Jucaro, Jucaro bravo, Jucaro de costa, Jucaro espinoso, Jucaro negro, Jucaro prieto, Jukaro, Laertouwarsboom, Leertouwarsboom, Marion, Negro, Olive bark-tree, Oxhorn bucida, Pocte, Prickly tree, Pucte, Pukjte, Pukte, Quintana roo, Spiny black olive, Tabasco, Ucar, Water gregre, Yucatan

Regions of Distribution
Central America, Latin America, Oceania and S.E. Asia

Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP]
Bahamas, Colombia, Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guadelope [France], Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico [US], Puerto Rico, Suriname, Venezuela

Common Uses
Boat building (general), Boat building: framing, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Cabinetmaking, Charcoal, Construction, Crossties, Factory construction, Factory flooring, Flooring, Flooring: industrial heavy traffic, Foundation posts, Handles: woodworking tools, Heavy construction, Joinery, Light construction, Lock gates, Mine timbers, Piling, Poles, Posts, Railroad ties, Stakes, Sub-flooring, Utility poles, Vehicle parts, Workbenches

Environmental Profile
Widespread
Status unknown in many of its growth areas
Some long-term concern for the species
Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center
Data source is Nature Conservancy


Distribution Overview
Upper Florida Keys, Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands, and Leeward Islands to Guadeloupe in Lesser Antilles. Also from southern Mexico to Panama and northern South America along the coasts of Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas. West Indies, Coastal Central and South America, from Mexico to the Guyanas. Owing to this species' ability to withstand salt-water spray, coupled with its attractive appearance, it has been widely planted for landscaping in Southern Florida, where it is mostly known as Black Olive and sold as Oxhorn Bucida. Grown in the open, Jucaro quickly branches out and leaves tend to cluster toward the branches' tips.In forest environment, the tree will reach heights in excess of 100 feet and diameters up to five feet. Mostly free of branches to 40 or 50 feet, it produces massive straight logs of excellent quality

Heartwood Color
Brown
Red
Purple
Black
Green/grey
Pink
Greenish to greyish
Brown
Yellowish to greenish brown
Yellow to golden-yellow to orange
Olive cast


Sapwood Color
Brown
Red
Green/Grey
White
Pink
White to yellow
Clearly differentiated from the heartwood
Yellowish-green
Usually sharply defined


Grain
Figure
Straight
Stripe (figure)
Interlocked
Rippled (figure)
Even
Closed
Wavy

Straight
Striped figure
Rippled figure
Interlocked
Wavy
Interlocked

The grain is typically interlocked, and quartersawn material often exhibit a very attractive ribbon-striped figure. The high sheen of the surface enhances appearance with light

Texture
Medium
Fine
Fine to medium
Medium


Luster
Medium
Low
Pronounced
Lustrous
High


Natural Durability
Very durable
Durable
Susceptible to insect attack
Non-resistant to termites
Moderately durable
Non-resistant to marine borers
Resistant to termites
Durable
Susceptible to marine borer attack
Resistant to attack from termites (Isoptera)
Very durable
Susceptible to attack from powder post (Lyctid & Bostrychid) beetles
Susceptible to attack by marine borers
Resistant to wood staining fungal attack
Resistant to dry-wood termite attack
Resistant to attack from pinworms (ambrosia beetles)
Moderately durable
Good weathering characteristics


Odor
Tarry smell when green
No taste in seasoned wood


Kiln Schedules
Dry at a slow speed
Dry at a moderate speed


Drying Defects
Distortion
Checking
Splitting
Slight surface checking
Moderate twist/warp
Slight twist/warp
Slight end splitting
Moderate surface checking
Moderate end spitting


Ease of Drying
Fairly Easy
Thick Stock Requires Care
Slowly
Reconditioning Treatement
Moderately Difficult to Difficult
Easy
Moderate
Dries slowly with moderate ease


Kiln Drying Rate
Naturally dries slowly
Naturally dries at a moderate speed


Tree Identification
Bole/stem form is buttressed


Tree Size
Tree height is 30-40 m
Bole length is 10-20 m
Bole length is 20-30 m
Tree height is 0-10 m
Tree height is 10-20 m
Tree height is 20-30 m
Bark width is 15-20 mm
Tree height is 40-50 m


Forest grown trees are reported to develop straight cylindrical boles that are well suited for timber. Trees growing in the open tend to branch out too quickly and develop boles of poor form

Product Sources
Although Jucaro is available in large quantities within its growth range, it is rare in the lumber form on the world market. For general construction uses, the wood is rather too hard to be useful. It is as dense as Lignum-vitae, but it lacks the natural self-lubrication which makes Lignum-vitae such a popular wood for making marine bearings.

Certified Source
Certified Source


Comments
General finishing qualities are rated as good

Blunting Effect
Moderate


Boring
Fairly difficult to very difficult
Easy


Carving
Fairly Easy to Very Easy


Cutting Resistance
Easy to saw
Easy to saw


Mortising
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Easy to mortise
Finishes well


Moulding
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Easy to mould


Movement in Service
Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement
Small
Good stability after seasoning


Nailing
Pre-Boring Recommended
Possible if prebored
Nails hold poorly
Difficult to nail


Planing
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Difficult to plane
Planes to a poor finish
Torn grain is common


Resistance to Abrasion
Highly resistant to wear
Good for flooring


Resistance to Impregnation
Resistant heartwood
Resistant sapwood
Heartwood is resistant
Wood is resistant
Heartwood is extremely resistant


Resistance to Splitting
Very Poor


Response to Hand Tools
Easy to Work
Difficult to machine
Poor response


Sanding
Easy to sand


Screwing
Pre-boring recommended
Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Difficult to screw


Turning
Easy to turn
Good results
Requires very sharp cutting edges
Poor results
Difficult to turn


Veneering Qualities
Difficult to veneer
No drying degrade
Suitable for peeling


Steam Bending
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Poor


Polishing
Satisfactory results
Good results
Takes a very high polish


Strength Properties
Shrinkage, Tangential = moderate
Shrinkage, Radial = moderate
Density (dry weight) = 67-75 lbs/cu. ft.
Density (dry weight) = 61-67 lbs/cu.ft.
Shrinkage, Tangential = very small
Shrinkage, Tangential = fairly large
Shrinkage, Radial = very small
Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = high
Hardness (side grain) = very hard
Density (dry weight) = 38-45 lbs/cu. ft.
Density (dry weight) = 31-37 lbs/cu. ft.
Bending strength (MOR) = medium
Shrinkage, Tangential = large
Shrinkage, Radial = large
Shrinkage, Radial = fairly large
Resists denting and marring
Heavy
Hardness = very high
Bending strength (MOR) = very high


Numerical Data
ItemGreenDryEnglish
Bending Strength1245114566psi
Density57lbs/ft3
Hardness2940lbs
Stiffness210824941000 psi
Specific Gravity0.85
Weight5644lbs/ft3
Radial Shrinkage4%
Tangential Shrinkage7%
Volumetric Shrinkage12%
ItemGreenDryMetric
Bending Strength8751024kg/cm2
Density913kg/m3
Hardness1333kg
Stiffness1481751000 kg/cm2
Specific Gravity0.85
Weight897705kg/m3
Radial Shrinkage4%
Tangential Shrinkage7%

References
Arno, J. 1991. Bucida buceras - Jucaro. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World, Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 69-70.

Belize,1946,42 Secondary Hardwood Timbers of British Honduras,British Honduras Forest Department Bulletin,No.1

Berni, C.A., Bolza, E., Christensen, F.J.,1979,South American Timbers - The Characteristics, Properties and Uses of 190,Species,C.S.I.R.O Div. Building Research

Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.

Echenique-Manrique, R., Diaz Gomez, V.,1969,Algunas Caracteristicas Technologicas de la Madera de once Especies,Mexicanas. (Some technological characteristics of the wood of eleven,Mexican species.,Inst. Nac. Inv. For. Mexico Boletin Tecnico,27

Edmondson, C.H.,1949,Reaction of Woods from S.America and Caribbean areas to Marine Borers in,Hawaiian Waters,Caribbean Foresters,10(1,PP37-41

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

France - C.T.F.T.,1962,Banga-Wanga,C.T.F.T.,Information Technique,No.167

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

Little, E.L., Wadsworth, F.H.,1964,Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook,No.249

Longwood, F.R.,1961,Puerto Rican Woods - Their Machining Seasoning and Related Characteristics,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook,No.205

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.,1943,Timbers of the New World,Yale University Press

Schulz, H., Grotthuss, O.K.N. von,1969,Investigacion de Algunas Especies Arboreas de los Bossques Tropicales de,Mexico (tercera parte,Mexico y sus Bosques,3(25,pp4-22

Smith, E.E.,1954,The Forests of Cuba,Maria Moors Cabot Foundation,U.S.A. Publication, No. 2

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.

Wolcott, G.N.,1940,A List of the Woods arranged according to their resistance to the attack,of,the 'Polilla', the Dry-wood Termite of the West Indies, Cryptotermes,brevis Walker,Caribbean Forester,1(4,PP1-10









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