VERAWOOD - (Plectrocarpa sarmientoi, (formerly named Bulnesia arborea)) native to Colombia and Venezuela, tree grows from 40–50 feet tall and 1–2 feet in diameter.
Heartwood color can range from pale yellowish olive to a deeper forest green or dark brown. The color tends to darken with age, especially upon exposure to light Pale yellow sapwood is clearly visible from heartwood.
Common uses are tool handles, mallet heads, bearings, bushings, boatbuilding, pulley wheels, heavy construction (in areas where the tree grows locally), and turned objects.
Verawood has very similar appearances and working characteristics to true Lignum Vitae (Guaiacum spp.), and is sometimes referred to as Maracaibo Lignum Vitae—named for the nearby Venezuelan port city. It is native to the coastal regions of Puerto Cabello and Lake Maracaibo, though it has also been introduced to neighboring islands in the Caribbean. Though Verawood is in a different genus than Lignum Vitae, both are biologically classified in the same family: Zygophyllaceae. Both woods are extremely hard, heavy, oily, and have a distinct brownish olive color.
Heartwood color can range from pale yellowish olive to a deeper forest green or dark brown. The color tends to darken with age, especially upon exposure to light Pale yellow sapwood is clearly visible from heartwood.
Common uses are tool handles, mallet heads, bearings, bushings, boatbuilding, pulley wheels, heavy construction (in areas where the tree grows locally), and turned objects.
Verawood has very similar appearances and working characteristics to true Lignum Vitae (Guaiacum spp.), and is sometimes referred to as Maracaibo Lignum Vitae—named for the nearby Venezuelan port city. It is native to the coastal regions of Puerto Cabello and Lake Maracaibo, though it has also been introduced to neighboring islands in the Caribbean. Though Verawood is in a different genus than Lignum Vitae, both are biologically classified in the same family: Zygophyllaceae. Both woods are extremely hard, heavy, oily, and have a distinct brownish olive color.