Guatemalan Mora, Dragonwood, and Gavilan Limon
Guatemalan Mora, Dragonwood, and Gavilan Limon
In our last blog post we covered three popular exotic wood options, that C3 Forest Products obtains from a sustainable forestry program in Costa Rica. The country is well known for its tropical forest cover and stunning trees, and we are blessed to have access to these beautiful resources.
Wooden products, made from the rain and cloud forests of this beautiful country, are a rich reminder of the magic country and its people. In this post, we will feature Guatemalan Mora, Dragonwood, and Gavilan Limon.
Our hope is that this will give you a better idea of the best wood for your project, as well as a stronger attachment to the piece, knowing its history, construction, and lifeline.
Guatemalan Mora
Guatemalan mora is often used in heavy construction such as flooring, furniture, turnings, and other small specialty wood items such as guitars. The common name “Mora” has traditionally been used for an unrelated wood found in Northern South America, known by the scientific name Mora excelsa.
Mora is also known as Guatemalan Tigerwood, Nora, Dakama, or Pracuuba. It is a very heavy and hardwood with outstanding strength properties and is particularly resistant to wear. This material stains & polishes well and is particularly beautiful for furniture due to a smooth polish that is easily attainable. The heartwood varies from chocolate-brown to reddish-brown. The grain is straight to commonly interlocked, producing an attractive wavy or sometimes ribbon figure. The Nora tree typically grows 2-3 feet in diameter and 100-120 feet in height.
Dragonwood
Dragon wood, from a tree often known as the Dragon blood tree, has a unique appearance, with an upturned, densely-packed crown, resembling an umbrella. This evergreen species is named after its dark red resin, which is known as "dragon's blood". Unlike most monocot plants, Dracaena displays secondary growth. Along with other arborescent Dracaena species, it has a distinctive growth habit called "dracoid habitus".Its leaves are found only at the end of its youngest branches and are all shed every 3 or 4 years before new leaves simultaneously mature. Branching tends to occur when the growth of the terminal bud is stopped, due to either flowering or traumatic events.
Its fruits are small berries containing between 1 and 4 seeds. As they develop they turn from green to black, and then become orange when ripe. They exude a red resin, known as dragon’s blood. The berries are eaten by birds, allowing for seeds to be dispersed.
Like other monocotyledons, such as palms, the dragon's blood tree grows from the tip of the stem, with the long, stiff leaves borne in dense rosettes at the end. It branches at maturity to produce an umbrella-shaped crown, with leaves that measure up to 60 cm long and 3 cm wide. The trunk and the branches of the dragon blood are thick and stout.
Gavilan Limon
Gavilan Limon, wood from Pentaclethra macroloba trees, has a light creamy yellow wood color. The tree itself is a canopy tree that reaches heights of 98–115 feet and has a tree that reaches heights of 98–115 feet and has a trunk diameter of 51 inches on average. The trees Leaves are twice compound, arranged in a spiral on the stems. Gavilan Limon flowers are small, with purple petals, that becoming greenish towards their tips. Despite producing about 200 flowers per inflorescence, each one produces only a few fruits. Oil from the fruit is very valuable as it is often used in hair care products.
The wood has straight or interlocked grain, medium texture, and moderate luster. It is a heavier wood, making it perfect for furniture use.
C3 Forest Products
Shop any of the wood products above at our online store, and stay tuned for our next post where we will discuss Matchwood, Old Fustic, and Bully Tree Wood.
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