Wood Species – Curmaru



Scientific Name:  Dipteryx odorata or Coumarouna odorata


Trade Name: Curmaru, Brazilian teak, cumaru


Family Name: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)



Common Names:  Cumaru, cumaru amarelo, cumaru roxo, cumaru do Amazonas, kumbaru, paw, muirapaye (Brazil); cumara, cuamara (Guyana); sarrapia (Colombia); guayae, faux, fevetonka, faux gaiac (French Guiana); angustura, serrapia, yape (Venezuela); ebo (Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras); tonka bean (English).



Regions of Distribution: Neo-tropics, throughout Amazon region


Countries of Distribution: Widely distributed in the Neo-tropics, extending from the humid forests of Honduras through Central America, to northern South America. It is found in all of the Amazonian countries and along the Caribbean and Atlantic coasts of the Guianas. Found in all states along the Brazilian Amazon and as far south as Corumba, Mato Grosso.


Appearance

Color: The trunk is cylindrical, a light brownish-yellow color, with smooth bark and short buttresses (to about 3 feet). The fresh heartwood is reddish or purplish brown with light yellowish brown or purplish brown streaks; after exposure turning to uniform light brown.  Sapwood is narrow, distinct, yellowish brown.  Luster low to medium.




GRAIN:   Fine texture, interlocking grain with waxy or oily feel.


Variations within species and grades:  Stark shading mellows over time.


Properties

Hardness/Janka: 174% harder than Northern red oak.  Brinell 5.9, Janka 3540.


Dimensional stability: Average (7.6; 7% more stable than red oak).

Origin: South America


Availability: Moderately available.


Average and maximum lifespan: Tree is perennial, very long lifespan, up to 1200 years.  Lumber has useful life of over 100 years.


Workability

Sawing/Machining: Difficult to saw and bore. Where severely interlocked grain is not present, the wood planes to a smooth surface. Because of its high density and oily nature, the wood glues poorly. Carbide blades and bits are needed.


Sanding:   Difficult to sand.  Suggested sequence: 1st cut 36/40; 2nd cut 50/60; 3rd cut 80; hard plate 100; screen 80 followed by 100.


Nailing:  Best practice is pre-drilling and hand-nailing.

Finishing: It is recommended to test all products before use.  Oil-modified finishes may fail to dry on following standard procedures.  Best finishes are moisture-cure urethane, conversion varnish, water-based finishes.

Common Uses:  Used in naval construction, especially in exposed positions, for truck and train wagons, and for high-quality cabinetry.  The wood is resistant to rot, withstanding 10-20 years in well drained soils.  Considered an excellent wood for railway ties, not only because of its durability but because it does not split easily when exposed to the sun and elements   Used in other heavy construction, cogs and shafts, barge and dock fenders, flooring, railroad crossties, pulp mill equipment, tool handles, bearings, turnery.

Detailed Description

Plant habit and life style: Perennial, large over story tree up to 160 feet high, trunk up to 40 inches dbh.  Unbuttressed cylindrical boles usually clear  to 60 to 80 feet.

Stems:  Not climbing.


Buds:  The panicle inflorescences are terminal, rusty-colored.


Leaves:  Compound, alternately pinnate, with elliptical oblong leaflets usually asymmetric, the whole 20 cm. long by 8 cm. wide.


Flowers: Hermaphroditic, zygomorphic, aromatic.  Flowers September-November.


Fruits: The fruit is an oblong-oval indehiscent drupe, 5-7 cm long by 3 cm in diameter, yellow-green when mature. The pericarp (pulp) is fleshy, sour, not edible, enveloping woody endocarp.  The pulp encloses the  tonka bean, gray to black in color.  The seed is smooth, hard, 2.5-3 cm in length,  dark purple-red in color, from which is extracted  clear yellow, aromatic oil known as coumarin.   Fruits mature May to July (approximately 9 months after flowering).


Habitat: Mature floodplain forest.  Well drained gravelly or sandy sites.

Special Diagnostic Characters:  None.