Select Language:  

BAGASSE (Bagassa guiananensis)

Trade Name

Bagasse

Scientific Name

Bagassa guiananensis Aubl.

Family

MORACEAE

Common Names

Tatajuba (Brazil); Garrote (Brazil); Bacuriúa (Brazil); Amarelinho (Brazil); Gele Bagasse; Garrote; Cow-Wood; Bagaceira (Brazil); Amarelão (Brazil); Amarelo (Brazil); Amapá Rana (Brazil); Bagasse Jaune; Tatajuba; Bagasse

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

The trees are unbuttressed, and are reported to reach heights of 20 to 25 m, even up to 35 m, with trunk diameters ranging from 60 to 90 cm. The boles are straight and cylindrical or slightly fluted at the base, up to 18 to 21 m long. It presents abundant

Natural Habitat

Bagassa species are reported to occur in terra firme primary or secondary forests in the Guyanas and the Brazilian Amazon.

Non Timber Uses

The bark contains large quantities of a sweet, sticky latex.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Vessels solitary and in short radial multiples. Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 200 micras or more (large). Tyloses common. Vessels per mm2 less than 6 (rare). Simple perforation plates. Occasionally intervessel pits large, 10 micras o Occasionally axial parenchyma absent or extremely rare, non visible with magnifying glass (8x). Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Prismatic crystals in non-chambered axial parenchyma cells. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Rays 1 to 4 seriate. Prismatic crystals in the ray cells. Homogeneous rays and/or sub-homogeneous rays (all ray cells procumbent). Body ray cells procumbent with one row of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-III). Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits.

  • Wood Macro Photo Tangential Plane

Availability

Cites Status

Unrestricted

General Wood Description

Color

The sapwood is differentiated. The heartwood is yellow, darkening to dark maroon after exposure.

COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)

4

Grain

The grain is straight, interlocked or irregular.

Texture

The wood is medium to coarse in texture.

Luster

The surface of the wood is naturally high in luster.

Natural Durability

It is very durable against decay. This species is resistant against termites and it is not attacked by Lyctus.

Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)

2

Resistance To Impregnation

Heartwood resistance to impregnation is reported to be high, it may be very difficult to treat.

Wood Physical Properties

Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)

0.71

Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)

0.80

Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

5.5

Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

3.9

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying: It is reported to dry very slowly, with wet zones remaining. Drying Defects: Severe honeycombing and collapse may occur when thick pieces, over 2.5 cm are dried. Kiln Schedules: Thorough air drying before kiln drying is advised. Slow drying is recommended.

Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)

1.4

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)

1442

Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

147144

Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

834

Compression perpendicular to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

139

Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

128

Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)

753

Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)

1007

Workability

Sawing

This wood can be sawn fairly well but power is required.

Rotary Veneer Cutting

B. guiananensis is reported to be interesting for slicing.

Sliced Veneer

B. guiananensis is reported to be interesting for slicing.

Blunting Effect

The material is reported to exert slight to moderate blunting effect on cutters.

Planing

Planing characteristics are reported to be good. Interlocked grain, if present, may pose some difficulties. A reduced cutting angle of 15 to 20 degrees is recommended.

Moulding

The wood moulds well.

Turning

30

Boring

Boring characteristics are reported to be good.

Mortising

Mortising properties are reported to be good.

Nailing

Pre-boring is recommended , but nail-holding properties are reported to be good.

Gluing

The wood is reported to glue without difficulty.

Sanding

The timber is reported to respond readily to sanding to yield smooth, clean surfaces.

Finishing

It gives a smooth finish.

Staining

The wood is reported to stain well and evenly.

Coatings

The wood is reported to take varnish without undue difficulty. The wood is reported to take paint well.

Polishing

The wood is reported to take a good polish.

Response To Hand Tools

Response to hand tools is rated as good, but fair if interlocked grain is present.

Substitute Species

Black locust.

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

EXTERIOR GENERAL, bridges, poles, paling, stakes posts, rails, crossarms, crossties, piers, HOUSING GENERAL, beams, joists, boards, flooring, frames, steps, panelling, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, common furniture, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, common veneer, TURNING, turned furniture, cutlery, SPORTS, TOOLS, tool handles, agricultural tools, PACKING, heavy packing, CONTAINERS, cooperage, truck bodies, truck flooring, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, boat fins, boat deck, port pillar, port storage, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, yoke, door core, moldings

Exterior General
  • 1 - Tabela de resultados de ensaios fisicos e mecanicos
Bridges
  • 2 - 25 madeiras da amazonia de valor comercial, caracterizacao, macroscopica, usos comuns e indices qualificativos
Poles
  • 3 - Estudo dendrologico e determinacao das caracteristicas fisicas e mecanicas do genipapo (Genipa americana)
Paling Fence Pickets
  • 4 - Estudo dendrologico e determinacao das caracteristicas fisicas e mecanicas da bicuiba
Stake Posts
  • 5 - Propriedades fisicas e mecanicas da madeira e do contraplacado de Pinus elliottii
Rails
  • 6 - Physical and mechanical properties of Eucalyptus deglupta Blume grown in Costa Rica
Crossheads Crossarms
  • 7 - Maderas latinoamericanas. II, Quercus alata Q. costaricensis y Q. eugeniaefolia
Crossties
  • 8 - Maderas latinoamericas. III, Podocarpus standleyi ,Podocarpus oleifolius, Drims granadensis, Magnolia poasana y Didymopanax pittieri
Piers
  • 9 - Maderas latinoamericanas. IV, Nectandra sp. Ocotea austinii, Persea sp. aff. vesticula, Persea schiedeana
General Housing
  • 10 - Silica in Timbers
Beams
  • 11 - Prospect: The wood database
Joists
  • 12 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part I-Tropical American Species
Boards
  • 13 - Dry kiln schedules for commercial woods. Temperate and tropical. Section III. Latin American (Mexico, Central, and South America) Woods–Conventional Temperatures
Flooring
  • 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Frames
  • 16 - Woods of the World
Steps
  • 17 - Tree Conservation Database
Paneling
  • 18 - W3TROPICOS Missouri Botanical Garden
Furniture Cabinets
  • 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Furniture, Common
  • 23 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Panels, Veneers
  • 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Common Veneer
  • 29 - Embassy of Ecuador in Japan
Turning
  • 30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan
Turned Articles
  • 32 - Embassy of Cote d`Ivoire in Japan
Knife Handles
  • 33 - Embassy of Gabon in Japan
Sports
  • 38 - Annual Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation 1998-ITTO
Tools
  • 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Tool Handles
  • 43 - Maderas de Bolivia (Características y Usos de 55 Maderas Tropicales)
Agricultural Tools
  • 44 - Atlas of Peruvian Woods
Packing
  • 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
Heavy Packing
  • 47 - Arvores Brasileiras
Containers
  • 50 - Properties of imported tropical woods
Cooperage
  • 51 - Recopilacion de propiedades mecanicas de maderas creciendo en Chile
Truck Body
  • 53 - Timbers of the New World
Truck Flooring
  • 54 - Bulletin of the Government Forest Experiment Station N.157: Identification of Tropical Woods
Shipbuilding
  • 55 - Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
Boat Fins
  • 58 - Guía de Árboles de Bolivia
Boat Decking
  • 59 - Programa Nacional de uso Sostenible de los Bosques e Incremento a las Exportaciones.
Port Pillar
  • 61 - Manual de Diseño para Maderas del Grupo Andino
Port Storage
  • 62 - Estudio Tecnológico de Maderas del Perú (Zona Pucallpa) Vol I
Handcraft
  • 66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)
Yokes
  • 74 - World Timbers, Vol.2, North and South America
Door Cores
  • 76 - Descripción General y Anatómica de 105 Maderas del Grupo Andino.
Molding
  • 79 - Padronização da Nomenclatura Comercial Brasileira das Madeiras Tropicais Amazônicas, Sugestão

Please Provide Information To View Producer Information

* Or, continue as guest