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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 Carving Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Luster Mortising Moulding Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Scientific Name Parkia pendula Trade Name Acacia male Family Name Leguminosae Common Names Acacia male, Cascaron, Faveiro, Favieira bolota, Faviera, Jupuuba, Muirarema, Orella de macaco, Parica, Visqueiro Regions of Distribution Central America, Latin America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Peru, Venezuela Common Uses Balusters, Boat building, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Canoes, Ceiling, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Construction, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Factory construction, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Interior construction, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Light construction, Living-room suites, Millwork, Mine timbers, Moldings, Office furniture, Paneling , Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Shipbuilding, Stair rails, Stairworks, Stools, Stringers Environmental Profile Extinct, Endangered, Vulnerable, or Rare within significant parts of its range Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center Data source is Nature Conservancy Its status in the wild is currently listed as unknown because of inadequate information in Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and several states in Brazil. Although it may be quite rare in some parts of its range, the species is rather abundant and widespread in other other areas of its range Distribution Overview The species is the most widely distributed neotropical species of Parkia, occurring in lowland terra firme rain forests from Honduras southwards (though not yet known from Nicaragua to Panama) to Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Amazonian Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia, as well as southeastern coastal Brazil, at elevations of up to 1640 feet (500 m). Heartwood Color Brown Red Black Pink Light brown Brown Sapwood Color White Pink Yellow Pale yellow Grain Even The grain is straight to interlocked. Texture Medium Coarse Luster Medium Natural Durability Durable Moderately durable Resistant to termites Susceptible to termite attack Low resistance to attack by dry-wood insects Low resistance to attack by decay fungi Odor No specific smell or taste Drying Defects The timber may check and distort moderately in drying. Casehardening and collapse are also reported to occur Ease of Drying Rapidly Requires care to minimize degrade Mild kiln schedules recommended to minimize drying defects Dries rapidly Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries quickly Tree Size Tree height is 30-40 m Product Sources The ITTO reports that the species is an important source of timber. It is exported at a low but regular rate. The timber is imported into Japan from Brazil. Blunting Effect Slight blunting effect on cutters Boring Fairly easy to very easy Responds very well to boring Carving Good results Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Gluing Good gluing properties Mortising Fairly Easy to Very Easy Finishes well Moulding Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good moulding properties Nailing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Planing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Good planing properties Resistance to Impregnation Permeable heartwood Permeable sapwood Very difficult to penetrate with preservatives. Sapwood is permeable Response to Hand Tools Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Easy to Work Responds very well to hand tools Routing & Recessing Good routing characteristics Sanding Fairly Easy to Very Easy Yields a clean surface Turning Fairly Easy to Very Easy Turns easily to yield clean surfaces Polishing Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Strength Properties Bending strength in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content) is high - comparable to Teak. It has medium compression strength parallel to grain, comparing favorably to Mahogany. It is fairly hard, resisting wear, denting, and marring fairly well Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 8699 12731 psi Crushing Strength 575 963 psi Hardness 926 lbs Maximum Crushing Strength 4106 6076 psi Shearing Strength 1602 psi Stiffness 1491 1759 1000 psi Specific Gravity 0.47 Weight 56 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 8 % Volumetric Shrinkage 11 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 611 895 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 40 67 kg/cm2 Hardness 420 kg Maximum Crushing Strength 288 427 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 112 kg/cm2 Stiffness 104 123 1000 kg/cm2 Specific Gravity 0.47 Weight 897 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 8 % References Chichignoud, M., G. Deon, P. Detienne, B. Parant and P. Vantomme. 1990. Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America. International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO, Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Division of CIRAD, 45 bis Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, Nogent-sur-Marne, CEDEX, France. Teixeira, D. E., M. A. E. Santana and M. Rabelo de Souza. 1988. Amazonian Timbers for the International Market. ITTO Technical Series 1. Brazilian Institute for Forestry Development, Brazil.