Closely related to Haematoxylum brasiletto[]. If the two species were found growing together, they could scarcely be regarded as distinct, since they are at best none too easily separable, except by the wood, which seems to have distinct properties in the two species[].

Common Name: Campeachy Wood

General Information

Haematoxylum campechianum is a slow-growing, small, bushy, semi-deciduous tree with a broad crown; it can grow up to 15 metres tall, but is usually smaller[]. It is often thorny and gnarled in appearance; the bole irregularly fluted and contorted, attaining a length of 2 - 3 metres and a diameter of 60cm[].
The tree is valued particularly as a source of dye material, but is also often used locally as a medicine and source of wood. It is cultivated as a dye plant in several tropical countries of the Americas, Africa and elsewhere, and has become naturalized in some places[, ]. Jamaica has been, for a long time, the main centre of wood production[]. It is occasionally cultivated as hedge plant and may be grown in gardens as a hedge, or as an ornamental, where it is valued for its delicate foliage and fragrant flowers[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Central America - Belize, Guatemala, Mexico.

Habitat

A lowland species which may succeed under very different conditions. In its native range it grows best in flat marshy areas often inundated by rivers[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Shrub
Height	10.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland tropics, it is found at elevations from sea level to 50 metres[]. The regions where the tree grows have an average annual temperature of 26°c, with a maximum temperature of 36.7°c and the minimum temperature of 14.9°c[]. Average precipitation is approximately 1,288 mm, ranging between 900 - 1,800 mm[].
In the wild, the plant grows best in flat marshy areas often inundated by rivers[]. In the West Indies, the best wood is common on exposed limestone hillsides in dry secondary thickets[]. Prefers a position in full sun[]. Succeds in most soils, preferring a humus-rich soil on the light side[]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[].
The tree has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized in some areas[].
The tree grows rapidly and easily from seed, soon reproducing itself in areas where it has been cut[].
With favourable growing conditions, the tree can attain harvestable size in about 10 years, and sometimes harvesting can even start when 8 years old[].
The flowers are the source of an excellent honey[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The wood is anodyne, antiinflammatory, mildly astringent, blood purifier, digestive, febrifuge, haemostatic and tonic[, ]. It is prescribed in the form of a decoction and liquid extract[, ].
It is considered useful against a range of conditions including diarrhoea, dysentery, atonic dyspepsia and leucorrhoea[, ].
Externally, it is used as an astringent disinfectant for wounds and skin ulcers[].
An ointment prepared from the wood is said to be useful against cancer and hospital gangrene[].

The wood contains haematoxylin, a substance that has been shown to possess anti-flammatory properties[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Frequently cultivated as a hedge plant[].

Other Uses

The wood furnishes a fairly permanent red dye, yielding together with iron salts a black dye[, ]. A series of darker dyes (grey, violet, blue, black) is obtained which serve mainly the dyeing of wool, silk, cotton, jute, synthetic fibres and leather[, ]. They are also used as dye for clothes and common prints[]. Haematein is the colouring agent present in the wood and it is used commercially for dyeing wool, silk, cotton, fur, leather, bone and certain synthetic fibres (e.g. nylon and rayon), using chromium mordants to obtain purple and black. It has a fair degree of fastness and good penetration. By selection of different mordants, subtle colour tones ranging through lilac, violet, blue, grey to black can be produced and othershades and colours can be achieved by admixture of other dyes[].
Haematein is also often used for the manufacture of inks, as histological stain (haematoxylin) and as an indicator for alkaloid titrations[, , ].

An essential oil obtained from the flowers is used in perfumery[].

As timber, its use is largely limited by the irregularity of the trunk[]. The brownish-red to blood-red wood becomes brown violet upon exposure to air[]. The grain is interlocked, texture coarse but fairly even. It is hard, heavy, strong but brittle, fairly easy to split, is durable for use outdoors and in contact with the ground[, , ]. It is sometimes used for furniture and fancy articles because it may be finished to a very smooth surface and takes a high polish[].
The wood burns readily[].

Propagation

Seed -
Cuttings

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