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PECHICHE (Vitex cymosa)
Trade Name
Pechiche
Scientific Name
Vitex cymosa Bert. ex Sprengel Vitex cymosa Bertero ex Spreng.
Family
VERBENACEAE
Common Names
Pechiche (Ecuador); Aceituno (Venezuela); Aceituno (Colombia); Taruma (Bolivia); Chuto (Ecuador)
Scientific Name Synonyms
Vitex discolor Glaz.; Jatropha tomentosa Spreng.
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
The trees are reported to reach heights of 30 m, with trunk diameters of about 80 cm. The boles are straight and cylindrical, somewhat fluted in the base. Occasionally with small buttresses of less than 1 m tall.
Natural Habitat
Vitex cymosa is found in open areas, growing on fertile alluvial areas below 1,000 m of altitude.
Natural Distribution
V. cymosa is reported to be distributed in the Amazonian forests of Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Occasionally wood semi-ring porous and/or ring porous. Vessels solitary and in short tangential multiples. Vessels solitary and in short radial multiples. Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 150 to 200 micras (medium). Occasionally tyloses common. Vessels per Axial parenchyma absent or extremely rare, non visible with magnifying glass (8x). Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Rays 1 to 4 seriate. Larger rays more than 4 seriate. Occasionally prismatic crystals in the ray cells. Body ray cells procumbent with one row of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-III). Septate fibers present. Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits.
Availability
Cites Status
Unrestricted
General Wood Description
Odor
It has a mild pleasant smell.
Color
The sapwood is clearly differentiated, it is pale brown, the heartwood is light yellowish brown when dry.
Grain
The direction of the fibers is straight, sometimes interlocked.
Texture
Texture is reported to be fine to medium.
Luster
Luster is usually moderate.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
3
Wood Physical Properties
Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)
0.58
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.64
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
6.4
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
3.2
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
2.0
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
1163
Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
142903
Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)
516
Workability
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
HOUSING GENERAL, beams, joists, flooring, parquet, frames, steps, fittings, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, moldings
General Housing
- 10 - Silica in Timbers
Beams
- 11 - Prospect: The wood database
Joists
- 12 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part I-Tropical American Species
Flooring
- 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Parquet
- 15 - Empire Timbers
Frames
- 16 - Woods of the World
Steps
- 17 - Tree Conservation Database
Fittings
- 19 - Silica in Timbers
Furniture Cabinets
- 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Molding
- 79 - Padronização da Nomenclatura Comercial Brasileira das Madeiras Tropicais Amazônicas, Sugestão
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