Common Name: Quaruba

General Information

Vochysia guianensis is a tree growing up to 35 metres tall[]. The trees are very variable in size, with the tallest specimens being recorded in Honduras[]. The straight, cylindrical bole is unbuttressed, but has a swollen base. It can be unbranched for 15 - 20 metres and around 60cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its timber. The bark has local medicinal uses.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Surinam, French Guiana, Guyana.

Habitat

Rain forests on well-drained sandy soils and silt soils close to waterways soils[, ].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	30.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland humid tropics.
Found in the wild on silt soils near waterways, on sandy soils and poorer soils on abandoned farmland[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The fresh, finely grated bark is used on teeth as a dental analgesic and to treat toothaches[]

The fruit contains vochysine, an unusual pyrrolidinoflavan composed of an alkaloid and a flavonoid[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The leaf accumulates aluminium, up to a significant 1% of its tissue[].

Other Uses

A sweet resin exudes from the trunk It has the aroma of the flowers[].

The heartwood is a pale pink-brown darkening to golden-brown, often with stripes on radial surfaces; it is not always clearly demarcated from the 40 - 75mm wide pale yellow or grey sapwood[]. The lustre is medium to high; texture moderately coarse and even; the grain straight or interlocked, producing a ribbon figure; open gum ducts with dark contents are often present[].
Timber may dry from a slow to rapid rate with occasional surface checking, collapse, case hardening and warping. Saws and works readily. Machines satisfactorily but tends to have a fibrous surface unless cutters are kept sharp. Glues well. Stains and paints satisfactorily. Polishes well after sanding and filling. Nails easily. Peels well. Pinhole borer damage occasionally present. Moderately resistant to termite attack but may present a low resistance to marine borer attack. Heartwood generally resistant to preservative treatment. Weathers well. Fair steam bending properties. Suitable for plywood manufacture. All properties vary widely with region of growth[].
It is recommended for boxes and crates, general carpentry, inexpensive furniture, interior trim, and plywood[]. It is used especially for the staves of barrels[].

Propagation

Seed -

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