I - L

From Argentina

(Maidenhair Tree)  From Japan A deciduous tree which reaches a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 9 feet. This species is the only surviving member of the ancient family Ginkoaceae (order Ginkgoales), which was widespread prior to the Jurassic period. Although cultivated in Japan, its native range is restricted to Chekiang province in China. The wood is light, brittle, and of little commercial value. Used for chess boards, chess men, chopping blocks, and for firewood. 

Western White Pine

Terminalia ivorensis

Other common names: Terminalia or roble marfil 

Distribution: Idigbo was first brought to Costa Rica from Africa in the 1980's because of its fast growth and beautiful wood. 

Tree Data: Idigbo grows rapidly and reaches a height of 120 to 150 feet in the natural forest, with a straight and clear bole up to 70 feet. Its trunk is frequently buttressed and fluted, with diameters of 3 to 5 feet. 

Timber Properties : Idigbo is yellow brown to light pink brown with a straight to slightly irregular grain. The wood is rated as durable.

Working Characteristics: It has a moderate luster and is easy to work with hand and machine tools. Idigbo glues well and takes a good finish. 

Common Uses: Idigbo is used for its attractive appearance and ease of working in the making of furniture, cabinetry, joinery, decorative paneling, veneers, and flooring.

Other common names: pencil cedar and Californina incense-cedar 
Distribution: Grows in northwestern United States 
Tree Data:  
Timber Properties : Straight and even grained with a medium texture. Light brown heartwood, often tinged with red, and nearly white sapwood. Light, soft, moderately low in strength, and low in stiffness and shock resistance. Very good decay resistance and stability in service. 
Working Characteristics: Extremely easy to work with machine or hand tools. Turns, cuts, planes, routs, and bores like a champ. Glues, screws, nails, paints and finishes very well. 
Common Uses: Used for pencils, carving, venetian blinds, chests, toys, fenceposts, poles, shingles, railroad ties, woodenware, trim, millwork, novelties, and plywood. 
General :. 

see Ebony, East Indian

see Rosewood, Indian

see Iroko

Other common names: Ipe, lapacho, cortez Corteza, corteza amarilla 

Distribution:  

Tree Data: Ipe is a large canopy tree, growing to a height of 120 feet in the natural rainforest, with trunk diameter up to 3 feet and a clear bole of 60 feet. Some specimens grow to 150 feet with a 6 foot diameter trunk. 

Timber Properties : Ipe heartwood is light to dark olive brown, often with attractive lighter or darker striping and striking contrasts with the lighter color sapwood. It has a fine texture, medium luster, and a somewhat oily appearance. Ipe is very hard (two to three times as hard as oak), very strong and very heavy. It weighs approximately 70 pounds per cubic foot and sinks in water. Ipe is rated as extremely durable. 1300 KG / M3 

Working Characteristics:  

Common Uses: Ipe is prized for quality furniture and decorative veneers, and because of its strength and durability, is used in boardwalks, tool handles, turnery, industrial flooring, and textile mill items. 

General : Ipe has been exploited for years and is becoming increasingly rare outside of national parks and reserves.

dark brown  prominent grain 1100 kg m-3 – heavy strong  durable – Outdoor construction flooring and joinery

Other common names: kambala, mvule, odum, intule, and tule. 
Distribution: Grows in southern half of Africa. 
Tree Data:  
Timber Properties : Interlocked grain and moderately coarse texture. Light to dark brown heartwood demarcated from paler brown sapwood. Teak like appearance bit darker Often has hard deposits of calcium carbonate embedded in grain. Medium hardness, weight, bending and crushing strength, very low stiffness and shock resistance, moderate steam bending, high decay resistance (heartwood), and good stability. Works well in general but boards with "stone" deposits have abrasive effect on cutting edges. Good gluing, nailing and screwing properties. Polishes to a high finish but filling typically required. Yellowish brown to dark brown with slight countergrain 1000 - 1100 KG / M3Iroko/Kambala exhibits a medium range of color variation once it has fully aged. As it ages from fresh cut to fully aged, it will vary greatly in color. Iroko/Kambala exhibits an extreme degree of color change with pronounced darkening from a bright gold color when freshly milled to a medium brown color once fully oxidized 
Working Characteristics:  
Common Uses: Often used as a substitute for teak and valued for upper-scale interior/exterior joinery, counter and table tops, carving, and turnery. Also used for window frames, sills, doors, ship building, cabinets, garden and park benches, plywood and veneer. fine Interior Joinery - Exterior Joinery - Flooring - Cabinet-Marke 
General : an open pored wood which has been used in the past for a teak substitute.  As it ages it is similar in color to teak. 

Australia

Grey Ironbark Heartwood colour is variable from pale to dark brown and dark red. Texture is coarse and even with an interlocking grain. Structural, Flooring Grey Ironbark is used in heavy engineering construction, poles, piles, decking, flooring and shipbuilding. It is a beautiful timber which is difficult to work and therefore not used to its fullest potential. Grey Ironbark is a hard dense wood which is difficult to work. Heartwood is very durable. Sapwood is usually resistant to lyctid borer attack. 1100kg/cu.m.

see Hophornbeam   see Lignumvitae

closely related to hornbeam. Shallow interlocked grain difficult to work

Naturally durable

see Brazilwood

slow growing tree - medium height dark red timber, very hard and naturally durable

Muhimbi

Fine textured red brown wood with interlocking grain.

Extremely durable

Difficult to work

Witch Hazel From Japan Attains a height of 50 feet and diameter of 48 inches. Wood is dense and lustrous and a good substitute for red sandalwood. Prized for cabinet making, turning etc. 

(Tanbark Oak) From Japan Attains a height of 72 feet and diameter of 41/2 feet. Wood used for sugar barrels, handles, oars and ties. Closely related to our California Tanbark Oak and like it, its bark yields tannin

Tree of 20 the 40 meters of height, gift in the Amazon region, mainly in the state of Pará. Its wood is used for constructions civil and naval, bridges and decks, pisos, furniture, etc 855 kg  very durable .

Maple From Japan Largest of the Japanese maples. Attains height of 60 feet and diameter of 34 inches. Wood is used in house building, cabinet making, carving and turning, and for handles. 

see Mahogany, African

countries of South AmericaIs a nearly white or pale yellowish-brown wood with a generally straight grain. What is most special about this wood is the depth that it shows, caused by the sheen of the grain.

see Pau Marfim

Siphondendron australe

Australia

Scarce white timber with indistinct growth rings, straight grained fine uniform texture

Subject to splits and is brittle

Fourodendron riedelianum

Argentina, brazil

sapwood and heartwood not easily defined - uniform white to pale yellow  colour with no distinguishing figuring

non durable

works well

see Rosewood, Brazilian