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PIQUIA (Caryocar coccineum)

Trade Name

Piquia

Scientific Name

Caryocar coccineum Pilg.

Family

CARYOCARACEAE

Common Names

Batsoari (Guyana); Ajillo (Costa Rica); Piquia (Brazil); Almendra (Venezuela); Almendrón (Colombia); Almendra (Colombia); Almendro (Peru)

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

This species is a medium size tree with average heights of 22 m. The diameter at breast height is commonly from 50 to 70 cm. The boles are usually 10 m long in the average.

Natural Habitat

It is reported in premontane rain forests.

Natural Distribution

Species in this group are reported to occur in tropical America from Costa Rica, through Guyana, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Vessels solitary and in short radial multiples. Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 150 to 200 micras (medium). Tyloses common. Vessels per mm2 less than 6 (rare). Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits coarse in marginal rows. Vessel-r Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Prismatic crystals in non-chambered axial parenchyma cells. Prismatic crystals in chambered axial parenchyma cells and/or in fibers. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. Rays more than 10 per mm (abundant). Rays more than 10 per mm (abundant). Rays commonly 2 seriate. Prismatic crystals in the ray cells. Heterogeneous rays and/or multiseriate heterogeneous rays. Body ray cells procumbent with over 4 rows of upright and/or squa Occasionally septate fibers present. Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits.

  • Wood Macro Photo Tangential Plane
  • Wood Micro Photo Of Transversal Section

Availability

Cites Status

Unrestricted

General Wood Description

Odor

typical almond-like smell

Color

The sapwood is very pale yellow, the heartwood gradually changes into yellow color.

COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)

4

Grain

The grain is usually interlocked.

Texture

The wood is typically medium in texture.

Luster

The surface of the wood is naturally moderate in luster.

Natural Durability

This timber is moderately resistant to decay, but it has good resistance against termites and dry wood insects.

Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)

4

Internal Growth Stresses

Growth stresses are reported in this species.

Resistance To Impregnation

Preservative treatments are reportedly difficult.

Wood Physical Properties

Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)

0.73

Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)

0.83

Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

9.3

Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

4.7

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying: Air seasoning is very slow. Drying Defects: Slight warp and checking.

Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule

JUNAC-C

Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)

2.0

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)

999

Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

145717

Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

673

Workability

Sawing

Presence of important residual internal stresses often lead to woolly surfaces.

Blunting Effect

The wood has a slight blunting effect.

Planing

Difficulties due to interlocked grain.

Moulding

Molding of this species is reported to be easy.

Boring

This species is easy to bore.

Nailing

Good nail-holding properties.

Gluing

Gluing behavior is reportedly fair.

Polishing

This species is reported to be difficult to polish.

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

EXTERIOR GENERAL, bridges, poles, stakes posts, crossties, piers, HOUSING GENERAL, beams, joists, boards, flooring, shutter boards, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, common veneer, TOOLS, agricultural tools, PACKING, heavy packing, pallets, CONTAINERS, cooperage, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, boats, boat deck, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, door core

Exterior General
  • 1 - Tabela de resultados de ensaios fisicos e mecanicos
Bridges
  • 2 - 25 madeiras da amazonia de valor comercial, caracterizacao, macroscopica, usos comuns e indices qualificativos
Poles
  • 3 - Estudo dendrologico e determinacao das caracteristicas fisicas e mecanicas do genipapo (Genipa americana)
Stake Posts
  • 5 - Propriedades fisicas e mecanicas da madeira e do contraplacado de Pinus elliottii
Crossties
  • 8 - Maderas latinoamericas. III, Podocarpus standleyi ,Podocarpus oleifolius, Drims granadensis, Magnolia poasana y Didymopanax pittieri
Piers
  • 9 - Maderas latinoamericanas. IV, Nectandra sp. Ocotea austinii, Persea sp. aff. vesticula, Persea schiedeana
General Housing
  • 10 - Silica in Timbers
Beams
  • 11 - Prospect: The wood database
Joists
  • 12 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part I-Tropical American Species
Boards
  • 13 - Dry kiln schedules for commercial woods. Temperate and tropical. Section III. Latin American (Mexico, Central, and South America) Woods–Conventional Temperatures
Flooring
  • 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Shutter Boards
  • 20 - Prospect: The wood database
Panels, Veneers
  • 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Common Veneer
  • 29 - Embassy of Ecuador in Japan
Tools
  • 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Agricultural Tools
  • 44 - Atlas of Peruvian Woods
Packing
  • 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
Heavy Packing
  • 47 - Arvores Brasileiras
Pallets
  • 48 - The strength properties of timbers
Containers
  • 50 - Properties of imported tropical woods
Cooperage
  • 51 - Recopilacion de propiedades mecanicas de maderas creciendo en Chile
Shipbuilding
  • 55 - Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
Boats
  • 56 - Manual de Identificación de Especies Forestales de la Subregión Andina.
Boat Decking
  • 59 - Programa Nacional de uso Sostenible de los Bosques e Incremento a las Exportaciones.
Door Cores
  • 76 - Descripción General y Anatómica de 105 Maderas del Grupo Andino.

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