Common Name:

General Information

Terminalia lucida is a deciduous tree with a sparse, longish crown; it can grow 10 - 25 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 40 - 80cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its timber.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil; C. America - Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras; Caribbean - Trinidad.

Habitat

Rainforests, in the dense primary forest, usually in areas subject to seasonal inundation, favouring soils rich in organic matter[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	17.50 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in full sun and in dappled shade[]. Prefers a fertile, humus-rich soil[]. Succeeds in soils subject to seasonal inundation[].
Young plants have a moderate rate of growth[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The wood is fine-textured, irregular-grained, moderately heavy, hard, with good mechanical properties and quite durable. It is used in construction for purposes such as beams, scantlings, laths and floor boards; for making furniture; lathe work; and external purposes such as bridges, poles, fence posts, stakes etc[].

We do not have any more specific information on the wood from this species. However, all the Terminalia species from the tropical Americas are said to have similar woods[], the following is a general description of that wood:-
The heartwood is a light yellow to yellow brown, sometimes with reddish veins; it is clearly demarcated from the 3 - 8cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain is straight. The wood is heavy to very heavy; hard to very hard; elastic; moderately durable, being resistant to dry wood borers and moderately resistant to fungi and termites. It seasons slowly with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. It has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good if the holes are pre-bored; gluing is poor. A good quality wood, it is used for high quality furniture, cabinet making, arched goods, turnery, industrial flooring, ship building, joinery, tool handles, moulding, veneer etc[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed. A low germination rate can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 80 - 90 days[].

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