The Greenheart of Commerce 



Bv C. D. Mell 



THE wood known to the trade as greenheart or 

 bibiru is produced by a massive tree growing in 

 the Suianas and in parts of Venezuela in South 

 America. It is called greenheart because the heartwood 

 of this tree is yellowish-green. It is highly esteemed for 

 its usefulness in marine construction and other work 

 requiring a strong and durable wood. 



LEAF AND FRUIT OF THE GREENHEART TREE 



The leaves remotely resemble the tupelo, but are larger, being from 

 G to S inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide. The fruit, lil^e a large 

 walnut, when ripe falls to the ground, soon germinates and sends 

 down a stout tap root. The young tree grows rapidly at first. 



The greenheart tree is easily recognized in the forest 

 by its long, clean and cylindrical bole and its light gray, 

 thin, flaky bark, which contrasts very strongly with that 

 of its associates. It ranges from GO to 120 feet in height, 

 and from 2 to 4 feet in diameter. Chief among the trees 

 which in height and circumference vie with greenheart 

 are the mora and the West Indian locust. Mora is a 

 tree which grows to an enormous size, frequently attain- 

 ing a height of 100 to 150 feet — sometimes it reaches 

 a height of nearly 200 feet, but when it is as large as 

 288 



this the tree generally has a hollow trunk at the base 

 The West Indian locust usually grows very tall and 

 produces a trunk that is without branches for more than 

 80 feet. 



The stems of greenheart are often without branches 

 for more than three-fourths of their total height, and 

 are usually cylindrical to the first branches for 50 to 

 90 feet, and logs from 12 to 24 inches square can be 

 obtained. A number of logs 70 feet long and 14 inches 

 square are shipped to the English markets. Logs 85 

 feet long, 14 inches square and perfectly straight, are 

 occasionally met with. The crowns in old, mature trees 

 are usually open, round and small, as compared with 

 those of large trees of other species in the tropical for- 

 ests. It has a few large branches at the base of the 

 crown, which extend at right angles to the main axis ; 

 the upper branches are more ascending and are rather 

 twisted and knotty. 



The small branches are more erect and bear the leaves 

 which are comparatively large and elongated, remotely 

 resembling those of our tupelo,. only they are larger, 

 measuring from 6 to 8 inches in length and from 2 to 3 

 inches in width. They taper to an acute point at both 

 ends, have a smooth glossy surface, a leathery appear- 

 ance, especially when old, and are arranged alternately 

 on the twig. The flowers are more or less inconspicuous 

 in comparison with a good many other large tropical 

 trees; they are at first greenish but later turn whitish 

 or pinkish in hue. The fruit of greenheart is large, and 

 in general outline favors a large walnut. Its thin peri- 

 carp is light brown in color, almost smooth, and encloses 

 a single large seed. 



When the fruit is ripe it falls to the ground and soon 

 germinates, sending a stout taproot down through the 

 leaf mold into the sandy or gravelly clay soil beneath; at 

 the same time it develops a stem with large leaves which 

 secure part of their nourishment from the large cotyle- 

 dons in the seed during the first six or eight weeks of 

 the life of the young plant. It makes a rapid growth 

 at first, while the stored-up food in the seed lasts, but 

 its struggle for existence becomes keen when this source 

 of nourishment is exhausted. 



The first year the seedling attains the height of about 

 ] 2 inches and develops from 2 to 4 large leaves ; the 

 second year it shoots up to the height of 2 or 3 feet, 

 after which it goes on increasing until it attains the 

 height of about 20 feet, when its rate of growth in 

 height and diameter decreases. It is during the first 

 four or six years when the young greenheart trees are 

 liable to sufifocation from other more vigorous trees and 

 shrubs. Only one out of hundreds of greenheart seed- 

 lings may grow up to become a tree. The old trees pro- 

 duce seeds every year, and practically all of them germi- 



