Different Types of Exotic Woods

Precious Exotic Tropical Central American Woods
Our talented artisans support totally the protection of the nature and the majority of their artwork is done with trunks of woods found in remote fields or beaches. These precious trees are priceless and irreplaceable, since they protect our nature, they offer a ceiling to an endless abundance of flora and fauna, they engender oxygen and they help to avoid the erosion, among others. It is important to mention that the government of Costa Rica has a very strict control to protect its forests and maintains strict measures as for cutting trees and rescuing species which are almost extinct. There are more than 200 precious wood trees types in Costa Rica (with more 200-year-old); many being some of the most coveted in the world of first quality. Most of these exotic tropical trees they are so rare, that very few reach the world market.

Following are among the most desirable to the woodcutters:

Cedar (Cedro Amargo) Rum-rum Fustic (Mora)

Purple Herat Guapinol Cocobolo

Nazareno (Purple Heart - Peltogyne purpurea)
Highly desired by hobbyists and craftsmen, who use this hard heavy wood in small projects. The trees grow to 150 feet with trunk diameters up to 48 inches. After its leaves fall around December or January, the new foliage appears almost immediately, making the tree an eye-catching site for many miles. But this wood’s distinctive coloring is what makes it a head-turner. When dry, the sapwood is gray-yellow-brown, and the heartwood is a brilliant purple when exposed to light. The grains are purplish and intercross for a texture that is medium to fine. The wood is highly durable, but its hardness (stronger than maple, oak or teak) requires a skilled craftsman to shape and reach a smooth finish.

Ron-Ron (Tigerwood - Astronium Graveolens)
Ron-rón wood is highly prized for its density, strength, high-quality and thin rich veins. It is used as handicraft, furniture-making, and house construction. It is among Costa Rica's most important timber trees. Magnificently workable, dense and relatively hard, ron-rón is a favorite of artisans, sculptors and woodworkers. The wood's amazing workability allows craftsmen to achieve remarkable shapes and finishes that are hard to replicate using other precious woods. The secret is a natural oil contained in dry ron-rón that makes for even density and few imperfections. The artists who turn, sculpt and polish it liken this wood to porcelain or marble.

Cocobolo (Rosewood - Dalbergia retusa)
Cocobolo is one of the most desirable exotic woods possessing a unique richness of color and durability. Colors and markings range anywhere from reddish-orange to a deep rich burgundy red or rose all the way to dark brown or black. The wood is characteristically marked with numerous beautiful, irregular, concentric markings of deep or black purple with black striping or mottling and yellow to gold markings. Cocobolo has a fine texture with straight to interlocked grain. Dues to its fantastic working characteristics, making it a favorite for turning and carving, and finishes very smoothly, with natural oils in the wood that produce a unique polish. Its highly workable qualities and beautiful tones and grain patterns make cocobolo one of the world's most sought-after woods for fine crafts and furniture making. Its sapwood is yellow to cream colored, at times taking on the appearance of ivory. Especially coveted is its spectacular heartwood, which displays a range of tones and grain patterns. Cocobolo wood can be sanded and polished to an extraordinary natural sheen that doesn't require lacquer or other traditional finishes. Cocobolo is extremely rare, with very little making its way into world markets. The highest-grade woods are grown in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and the Costa Rican government requires permits for anyone wishing to cut down a cocobolo tree. Most of the wood available today is cut from privately owned land where the slow growing cocobolo trees were planted eight to ten decades ago, not from natural rain forest.  Other than that, few of these precious logs are still found on the floors of the rainforests.

GUAPINOL (Hymenaea coubaril)
Strong, hard and attractive, guapinol is the wood of choice for ultra-fine hardwood floors. Abroad, it is also known as curbaril, jatoba or Brazilian cherry. Freshly sawed, the sapwood is a creamy white color that yellows with time. The heartwood is honey colored with narrow bands in lighter and darker tones, similar to the colors and grain patterns of caoba wood (Swietenia). Few precious woods are as hard and heavy as guapinol, yet its high density and smooth texture makes it a preferred wood for turning. But the wood is not without its challenges. The guapinol tree produces a resin that coats “injuries” to its wood as the tree grows. The resin crystallizes inside the trunk to form concealed, diamond-hard “pearls” capable of causing severe damage to cutting tools.

GUAYACAN REAL (Iron Wood - Guaiacum sanctus)
Known in Latin as lignum vitae or “wood of a lifetime,” guayacán or “iron wood” is one of the hardest and heaviest woods in Costa Rica, although still a relative softy compared to perhaps a dozen other species primarily found on the African continent. Its heartwood is a dark greenish brown to almost black and is readily distinguished from the narrow, pale yellow or cream-colored sapwood. The wood is very fine and uniform in texture with a heavily interlocked grain. It is oily due to translucent green resin content (guaiac) that constitutes about ¼ of the dry weight, an excellent lubricant. A slight scent is evident when the wood is warmed or rubbed. Its sapwood is light yellow and surrounds a beautiful heartwood that, when freshly cut, displays greenish bands of varying widths and tones. Exposure to oxygen and light deepens the milled wood to a rich, dark brown. The few artisans who know this very hard wood say its relative density doesn't make it less workable than other hardwood species.

EL MORA (Fustic - Maclura tinctoria)
Highly coveted for beauty, strength and remarkable resistance to weather, fungus and insects, mora wood is now is now extremely rare in Costa Rica. This species' whitish or pale yellow sapwood envelopes a spectacular heartwood that changes color as the tree gets older. The heartwood of young mora trees ranges in color from bright yellow to a magnificent golden hue. As the tree ages, the color mellows to dark caramel, densely marbled with bands of yellow. When mora was more plentiful, its resistance to weather made it a favorite with farmers for fence posts. Today, it's too scarce and expensive to use for anything but small crafts. It is also a very valuable yellow colorant and it has curative properties.

CEDAR (CEDRO AMARGO (Cedrela Odorata)
There are actually 30 distinct species of Cedrela growing in Costa Rica. Spanish cedar is of the same family as mahogany. This aromatic wood is in high demand in the tropics because it is naturally termite and rot resistant. Spanish cedar is a tree of the New World tropics and requires well-drained soils, preferably limestone. In the rain forest, the trees are generally scattered among forest dominated by other species. Mature Spanish cedar can have a bole (the harvestable trunk) of between 20 and 30 meters. The picture on the left is a tree no more than 30 years old and part of it is below the hill!

NISPERO (Medlar - Humiriastrum diguense
Found from sea level up to 700 metres, this tree prefers humid to very wet conditions (annual precipitation of over 3000 mm). This is a typical tree of the primary forest canopy. In spite of being a prolific seed producer, larger examples are now scarce. The wood is a reddish-brown, hard, and easy to work. Mainly used for furniture and hard-flooring.

BALSAMO (Myroxylon balsamun)
This generous tree reaches up to 34 metres in height and 1 meter in diameter. The bark is generally grey, spotted with rough yellow areas. Balm is harvested from the trees in a similar way to the collection of rubber latex. The crop of balm begins in trees that are at least 20-30 years old. The balm (or, Essential Oil) has a rich, sweet vanilla-like aroma. Traditionally, it is used to treat dry and chapped skin, respiratory complaints and stress. It is also used to flavor baked products, sweets, chewing-gum, jellies, ice cream, carbonated drinks and syrups. Additionally, it is used as incense in churches; in perfumes, cosmetics and the soap industry.

CRISTOBAL (Platysmiscium pinnatum)
The keys of Costa Rica's finest marimbas are made of Cristóbal, which emits a melodic, woody tone when struck. Its highly workable, strong and compact grain can be sanded and polished to an almost acrylic sheen. Its straw-yellow sapwood envelopes a caramel-colored heartwood that's ribboned with broad, widely spaced banding of a darker tone. The effect gives Cristóbal a look like none other. Milled Cristóbal also possesses a sweet, caramel-like aroma that announces its presence in the wood shop even before its striking beauty catches the eye.

CENIZARO (Pithecolobium saman)
This tree remains an outstanding species thanks to its massive stature, spreading crown, and high quality wood. Its flat-topped trees are widely cultivated throughout the tropics as shade trees for such crops as coffee and cacao. Also called Monkey pod, this specie may attain heights of 80 ft. The leaves fold together in cloudy weather and darkness, but spread again and give an umbrella-like protection in sunny days. Given its high durability, the use of rain tree has been dispersed throughout the tropics for at least 100 years. The average hardwood has a crisscrossed, interlocking grain that keeps the wood from cracking when moved to drier climates. It can be finished to a fairly high gloss and it is easy to carve.