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| Name | Faveira amargosa |
| Other Names | Faveira amargosa, faveira amarela, angelim amargoso, fava amargosa, fava amarela, fava bolacha, faveira bolacha, angelim araroba (Brazil), maqui (Colombia), inkassa, yongo (French Guyana), arakaka, arisauro (Guyana), amargo (Honduras), amargo (Panama), gele kabbes (Suriname). |
| Botanical Name | 1. Vatairea paraensis Ducke, (= V. guianensis Aubl.), V. lundellii Standl. V. spec. div.. 2. Vataireopsis araroba Ducke V. speciosa Ducke. |
| Family | Leguminosae (Papilionaceae). |
| Origin | Tropical South and Central America |
| Tree Description | Grows to heights of 15 to 30 m and diameters of 0.3 to 0.8 m with root buttresses sometimes reaching 0.5 m and straight branch-free trunk lengths of 8 to 18 m. |
| Available As | Planed timber |
| Wood Description | Heartwood is yellow when freshly sawn, darkens from orangey brown to dark brown, or brown with a yellowish green tint. The 20 to 80 mm wide sapwood is very distinct with its white, grey or brownish yellow colour. Abundant parenchyma around vessels gives faceira amargosa a fine but striking light striped pattern. Tastes very bitter and spicy - non-descript odour. Given the wide range of densities of these varieties of wood, it is advisable to take this into account and/or establish limits for certain applications. |
| Wood Type | Hardwood |
| Grain | Straight to irregular grain and slight to strong interlocked grain. |
| Texture | Coarse |
| Density | Vataireopsis araroba (Aguiar) Ducke 660 kg/m3 at 12% humidity. Vataireopsis iglesiasii Ducke 540-640 kg/m3 at 12% humidity. Vatairea paraensis Ducke 870-930 kg/m3 at 12% humidity. Vatairea guianensis Aubl. 680-880 kg/m3 at 12% humidity. 740/760/770 kg/m3 at 12% humidity, 1000 to 1200 kg/m3 when green. Colombian maqui 840/879/934 kg/m3 at 13% humidity, 1180/1200/1220 kg/m3 when green. |
| Working | - |
| Drying | Fast drying in air and slightly susceptible to distortion and surface cracking. |
| Workability | Machines easily to fairly well depending on density. Saws easily but with a tendency to blunt tools. Turns easily, surface feels rough to the touch. |
| Fixings and Fasteners | Good. Pre-drilling required at higher densities. |
| Bonding | Good. |
| Pliability | - |
| Surface Finishing | Good. |
| Durability | Moderately resistant to resistant against moulds (1 - 3). Moderately resistant to termites (M.). Dry wood burrowers - good. |
| Strength Class | - |
| Impregnability | Heartwood - difficult. |
| Peculiarities | Faveira amargosa sawdust and yellow powder released during processing can cause eye, nose and lung irritation. Skin or mucous membrane contact with wood dust can cause allergic reactions. |
| Applications | Faveira amargosa can be used for industrially manufactured strip parquet, indoor and outdoor woodwork, wall cladding, furniture, pallets and crates, and decorative veneer. |
| Quality Requirements | - |
Source: Houtvademecum, 8e druk 2001