Common Name:

General Information

Peltogyne lecointei is a tree.
The tree is one of the sources of 'purpleheart' timber, a high quality wood that is often harvested from the wild, mainly for trade.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Northern S. America - Brazil, French Guiana.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

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 dull brown wood becomes violet or intense purple upon exposure to air and turns black when soaked in water[]. It is heavy, hard, tough, medium to fine textured, durable, not difficult to work[]. It is used for the interior finish of rooms[].
We have no more information for the wood from this species; however we have a general description of the wood obtained from Amazonian members of this genus, collectively known as 'purplehearts':-
The heartwood is brown when freshly cut, becoming deep purple upon exposure, and eventually turning to a dark brown; it is sharply demarcated from the off-white sapwood. The texture is medium to fine; the grain usually straight, sometimes wavy, roey, or irregular; lustre is medium to high, variable; there is no distinctive odour or taste. The heartwood is rated as highly durable in resistance to attack by decay fungi; very resistant to dry-wood termites; but with little resistance to marine borers. Reports on seasoning vary, some species air dry easily whilst others are moderately difficult; they driy slowly to fairly rapidly, with little degrade to some warping and splitting. The wood is moderately difficult to work with either hand or machine tools, it dulls cutters and exudes a gummy resin when heated by dull tools; slow feed rates, and specially hardened cutters are suggested. It turns smoothly, easy to glue, and takes
finishes well. It is used for purposes such as turnery, marquetry, cabinets, fine furniture, parquet flooring, tool handles, heavy construction, shipbuilding, and many specialty items such as billard cue butts, chemical vats and carving[].

Propagation

Seed -

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