Amaranth (type of wood)
Amaranth or violet wood or purpleheart , violet wood is a collective name for various woods of the genus Peltogyne in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae within the legume family (Fabaceae). The Peltogyne species traded as amaranth are distributed from Mexico through Central America to tropical South America . Peltogyne types provide wood from purple-red to purple in color, hence the German name "violet wood ".
Wood-producing species
- Peltogyne porphyrocardia Benth.
- Peltogyne catingae Ducke
- Peltogyne confertiflora (Hayne) Benth.
- Peltogyne excelsa Ducke
- Peltogyne lecointei Ducke
- Peltogyne maranhensis Huber
- Peltogyne mexicana Martínez
- Peltogyne venosa (Vahl) Benth.
description
The sapwood area takes up about 3 to 6 cm and is whitish to cream-colored. The heartwood is gray-brown immediately after cutting and turns purple when exposed to light. Later the wood darkens to brown-purple. The pores are scattered and medium to large in size. The annual rings are barely visible or easily recognizable, depending on the location. The grain shows an alternating twist .
Properties and processing
Amaranth has a relatively high density, at 12% relative humidity the bulk density is 0.8 to 0.95 g / cm³, the kiln weight is 0.76 to 0.86 g / cm³. It has durability class 2 and is very durable both outdoors and in water. Amaranth hardly shrinks, the shrinkage is 4.6% in the radial direction and 6.6% in the tangential direction. The wood has high flexural and compressive strengths. The Brinell hardness is 44 N / mm², the modulus of elasticity is 16900 N / mm².
During the drying process, make sure that it proceeds slowly and carefully, as otherwise cracks and warping will result. Amaranth is easy to work with, cut and split. However, due to the relatively high content of ingredients, the tools can quickly stick or dull. When polishing with alcohol-based substances, these can dissolve the purple dye from the pores. The wood dust can cause irritation of the mucous membranes , dermatitis , weakness and malaise.
use
As a decorative wood, amaranth is often used for interior decoration. As parquet , wall cladding or furniture construction. For this purpose also like veneers used. In the countries of origin, it is also used in ports and dock facilities, as well as in bridge construction. It is a popular wood for carving and sculpting. It is used for turned tool handles and decorative objects as well as in high-quality boat building . Amaranth is also used in instrument making, often on guitar fingerboards as a replacement for rosewood and other tropical woods .
literature
- Helmut Gottwald: Determination of the most important commercial timbers . Ferdinand Holzmann Verlag, 1958.
- Atibt: Atlas de Maderas Tropicales de America Latina . Éditions Quæ, 1990, ISBN 2-87614-612-6 .
- William Alexander Lincoln: World Woods in Color . Linden Pub, 1986, ISBN 0-941936-20-1 .
- Franklin R. Longwood: Commercial Timbers of the Caribbean. Agriculture Handbook 207, USDA, 1962, pp. 96-99, limited preview in Google Book Search.
- J. Gérard, D. Guibal, S. Paradis, J.-C. Cerre: Tropical Timber Atlas. Éditions Quæ, 2017, ISBN 978-2-7592-2798-3 , pp. 741 ff, limited preview in the Google book search.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Terry Porter: Recognize and identify wood. The reference work for practice. (Over 200 types of wood and their use) (= HolzWerken ). 2nd Edition. Vincentz Network, Hannover 2011, ISBN 978-3-86630-950-0 , p. 190 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h H. G. Richter & MJ Dallwitz: Peltogyne spp. (Amaranth, nazareno, pau roxo). In: Commercial Timbers. June 25, 2009, accessed January 15, 2015 .
- ↑ a b The Wood Database. Retrieved on: May 12, 2017
