Common Name:

General Information

Couratari tauari is a tree growing up to 18 metres tall[]..
The bark is harvested and made into cloth for local use[].
The tree is listed as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - northern Brazil.

Habitat

Non-flooded forests[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The inner bark is extracted in thin layers, appearing somewhat like paper, and in this form has been used for wrapping cigarettes and cigars[]. It is also used for cordage, for rough clothing, and bedding by the natives of many South American countries[].
The bark is removed from the tree by means of a knife or other sharp instrument. Two cuts are made in the bark of the tree at different heights, surrounding the entire tree, and then another cut is made longitudinal to the first two. This section of the bark is then torn or stripped off the tree, it is pounded and then washed to separate the parenchyma from the fibre, thus obtaining a textile substance[]. In other cases the bark is loosened by continued blows or beating[]. The fibre is traditionally used to make clothing, blankets etc. Some of the blankets appear as if made from soft, pliable leather, others look like cotton. It is also used for mats, carpets, and to take the place of paper in wrapping cigarettes[]. One of the blankets made by beating the bark is described as being 180cm long and 270cm wide[].
The women of the tribe of the Churruyes, of Colombia, use the bark in the fashioning of a sort of garment called farquina, which is secured to the shoulders by strands of palm fibre, probably an Astrocaryum. 'The fibre is separated by blows and jerks into sheets, resembling cloth, which, when rubbed, washed, and exposed to the sun and dew, becomes light in colour and flexible.'' The garment is sometimes dyed red. Some of the Indians of Peru and Bolivia make shirts of the fibre; these being dyed in red and other colours[].
C. Guianensis is also called Tauari in Guyana, and produces a textile fibre used for many purposes. C. Estrellensis furnishes a wood used in naval construction 'and produces a coarse hemp.' C. Legalis, also prized for its timber, yields a fibre. This tree is known in Brazil as jequitaba.

Propagation

Seed -

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