Common Name:

General Information

Hymenaea oblongifolia is an evergreen tree with a heavy, umbrella-shaped crown; it can grow up to 40 metres tall[]. The straight, cylindrical bole is often buttressed, it is clear of branches for more than two thirds of its height, and can be up to 100cm in diameter[, ].
The tree is valued mainly for its timber which is used locally and also traded. The edible fruit is also harvested from the wild for local use.
The taxon has a widespread distribution and is not considered to be subject to any major threatening processes at present. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana.

Habitat

Non-flooded lowland forest at elevations below 400 metres[]. Forests on river bank, forest with open canopy and dense understory often on sandy soils[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	30.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. The seeds are surrounded by a white, powdery, sweet-tasting but odoriferous flesh[, ]. The fruit is an oblong pod (legume), 41 - 64mm long, 28 - 38mm wide and 13 - 26mm thick, containing several large seeds which are surrounded by a dry, white edible pulp.

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The bark contains an abundance of a pale yellow or reddish translucent gum, known as 'South American copal'[]. This gum often accumulates in the ground at the base of the tree and may be found in the soil (fossil gum) in large quantities long after the tree has disappeared[]. The resin is used in making certain cements and varnishes, and is also wrapped in corn husks and sold in cake form as incense for burning in churches[].

Traditionally, the bark was stripped from large trees and used for making native canoes that were capable of holding 25 - 30 people[].

Freshly cut heartwood is salmon red to orange brown, becoming russet to reddish brown when seasoned; it is sharply demarcated from the white, gray, or pinkish, usually wide layer of sapwood. The heartwood frequently is marked with dark streaks and may at times show a golden lustre[]. The grain is usually interlocked, but is occasionally straight; the texture is medium to coarse; there is no distinctive odour or taste in the seasoned wood. The wood is particularly attractive, resembling sugar maple on the radial surface and having a high lustrous sheen marked with scattered lines of vessels on the tangential surface. Quartersawn wood is particularly attractive due to the exposure of the radial surface on the top surface of the boards[]. The wood is very strong, hard to very hard, tough and heavy to very heavy. There are mixed reports on durability, possibly because the tree has a wide sapwood which is less durable that the heartwood. The heartwood is generally durable in the soil[]. The wood is moderately difficult to work, due largely to its high density. It nails badly but has good screw-holding power; takes glue well and turns satisfactorily; finishes smoothly but does not take a high polish. It is comparable to white oak in steam-bending properties and splits rather easily[]. It is used for heavy construction and parquet flooring[]. The wood's high shock resistance fits it admirably for use in sporting goods and for tool handles in place of ash. It is also suitable for steam-bent boat parts for which oak is generally used. As flooring and stair treads, it provides a very wear-resistant surface, which takes a fairly good polish. The timber has been recommended for veneer, because the characteristic wide sapwood layer in second-growth timber works well into natural and blond-finish furniture. Both the sapwood and heartwood are suitable for furniture, cabinetwork, interior trim, and turnery. European manufacturers have recently shown interest in the timber as a piano wood. Other purposes for which the wood is used include ship planking, tree-nails, gear cogs, wheel rims, general building construction, looms, naves and felloes of wheels, and as wooden parts in sugar mills and other mill machinery. It is also used to some extent for lock gates in areas free from marine borers[, ].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and benefits from scarification before sowing to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Sow the treated seed in a partially shaded position in individual containers.

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