Common Name:

General Information

Hymenolobium excelsum is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 50 metres tall. The cylindrical bole can be free of branches for up to 24 metres; in some larger specimens it can be up to 300cm in diameter with buttreses that can be up to 1.8 metres tall[, , ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood, which is a good quality construction timber that is used locally and also traded.

Known Hazards

The sawdust can cause dermatitis[].

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru.

Habitat

Upland rain forests[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	40.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

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

None known

Other Uses

The heartwood is a yellow-brown, becoming pinkish-brown upon exposure, fairly important waxen patches are more or less frequent; it is not clearly demarcated from the 3 - 10cm wide band of grayish-white sapwood. The texture is coarse; the grain interlocked; lustre medium to high; there is no distinctive odour or taste. The wood is moderately heavy to heavy; moderately hard to hard; elastic; somewhat durable, being moderately resistant to fungi but susceptible to dry wood borers and termites. It seasons fairly quickly with only a slight risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is poorly to moderately stable in service. The wood works well with ordinary tools, though there are possible difficulties if the waxen patches are numerous; the waxen patches remain visible after machining; a careful sanding must be done to obtain a good finish; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring, there is a tendency to end checks when nailing; gluing is correct. The wood is used in construction, joinery, panelling, industrial flooring, stairs, heavy carpentry, furniture components etc[, , ].

Propagation

Seed -

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