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| Name | ipé |
| Other Names | Bethabara, pau d'arco, ipé, tauary*, caixeta (Brazil), guayacan polvillo (Colombia), guyacan, madera negra (Ecuador), ebène vert, ebè jaune (French Guyana), bowwood, whalebone greenheart (Guyana), cortez (Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica), amapa (Mexico), guayacan (Panama), lapacho negro, guayacan (Paraguay, Argentina), tahuari (Peru), groenhart (Suriname), flor amarillo (Venezuela). *Incorrect name |
| Botanical Name | Tabebuia serratifolia (Vahl) Nicholson (Surinaams groenhart) (= Tecoma spec. div.)., Tabebuia ipé (Mart.) Standl., T. cassinioides DC., T. guayacan Hemsl., T. longiflora Standl. |
| Family | Bignoniaceae. |
| Origin | Tropical South and Central America |
| Tree Description | The many varieties and the large area over which these trees grow lead to a wide range of sizes and properties. Grows to heights of 30 to 40 m (max. 60 m) and diameters of 0.6 to 0.9 m (max. 1.8 m). Branch-free, straight, cylindrical trunks can grow to lengths ranging from 8 to 40 m with or without root buttresses. |
| Available As | Planed timber, parquet and flooring. |
| Wood Description | Surinamese groenhout is described below. Other Tabebuia varieties are lighter in weight, but are otherwise indistinguishable in outward appearance or anatomy from Surinamese greenheart. Most strength-related properties for other Tabebuia varieties (with lower densities) are also lower. Greenish brown to greenish yellow brown heartwood is very distinct from the yellowish grey sapwood that measures 40 to 80 mm in width. The core often has light and dark areas that give it a somewhat striped appearance. Where there is an interlocked grain, a fine decorative striped pattern is discernable in some lights. Ipé has a fairly even structure without any discernable patterning. The wood contains lapachol that is visible on longitudinal surfaces as greenish yellow stripes. Lapachol turns red in contact with ammonia, which allows ipé (Surinamese groenhart) to be distinguished from demerara groenhart. The wood is extremely hard and strong, splits with difficulty and is very elastic. |
| Wood Type | Hardwood |
| Grain | Straight, sometimes an interlocked or irregular grain. |
| Texture | Fine |
| Density | 950/1050/1150 kg/m3 at 12% humidity, 1200 to 1300 kg/m3 when green. |
| Working | Moderate |
| Drying | Fairly slow, slight tendency to deform and crack. |
| Workability | Its high density makes it difficult to process and cutting tools become blunt quickly. It is advisable to use a shallow cutting angle when planing to avoid any problems with interlocked grain. Ipé can be worked to produce a smooth surface finish. Good ventilation/dust extraction is advised as dust produced containing lapachol can cause dermatitis. |
| Fixings and Fasteners | Pre-drilling required. |
| Bonding | Potentially problematic given its high density. |
| Pliability | Unknown. Very pliable. |
| Surface Finishing | Good. |
| Durability | Moulds 1. In contrast to Demerara groenhart (Chlorocardium rodiei Rohwer, Richter & Werff) Ipé is not resistant to pileworm. |
| Strength Class | - |
| Impregnability | Heartwood 4. |
| Peculiarities | Lapachol can cause skin allergies and contains the derivative desoxylapachol (0.4%). Lapachol turns dark red in contact with alkalis. The bark contains approx. 5% tannin. The wood contains a water-soluble purple die that can cause bleeding. |
| Applications | Principally used for construction work (bridge and shipbuilding and harbour projects), crossbeams, indoor and outdoor woodwork, parquet, flooring, furniture, turning, carving, industrial flooring, archways, fishing rods, walking sticks, tool shafts (as a substitute for hickory or ash), garden timber, garden furniture, wheel spokes. Widely used in bodywork construction in Brazil. |
| Quality Requirements | - |
Source: Houtvademecum, 8e druk 2001