Can reach up to 35 m in height and 80cm in diameter. The trunk is straight and cylindrical with poorly developed buttresses. The outer bark is grayish green and has abundant, small, and randomly distributed lenticels. The inner bark is red and somewhat fibrous.
Ranges from Mexico, throughout Central America, and down to Perú and Brazil.
No distinctive odor.
The sapwood is whitish yellow and the heartwood is a uniform brown to reddish brown with a very distinct demarcation between both layers.
Medium shine.
Fine to medium texture.
Mild to prominent streaks.
It is extremely heavy wood.
Mechanical resistance is ranked as high to very high.
Grain is straight to interlocked.
The wood has a high silica content and is difficult to work with manually and for machining it is necessary to utilize stellite or tungsten-carbide tools and adequate sawing techniques.
The wood is reported to be highly resistant to both fungi and insect attack.
México: Guapaque, Paque.
Guatemala: Paleta.
Honduras: Tamarindo prieto.
Nicaragua: Tamarindo montero.
Costa Rica: Tamarindo.
Panamá: Tamarindo de montaña, Hauso.
Colombia: Algarrobillo, Tamarindo.
Venezuela: Cacho.
Perú: Huitillo.
Brasil: Jataipeba, Jutai, Jutahy, Parajuba, Paroroca.
Heavy construction
Marine construction
Turnery
Musical instruments.
Address:
300 metros al norte de la plaza de deportes,
Los Angeles de la Fortuna,
Provincia de Alajuela,
San Carlos, Costa Rica.
CP 21007