Deaorij/tion of the V?ood^ 



Sapvi/ood very thin, nearly white; heartwood light yellow, 

 but becomes darker after exposure to air and light. «Vood 

 hard, heavy, strong, tough, usually straight and close grain- 

 ed, taking and excellent polish and durable in contact with 

 the soil. Annual rings of growth not visible. 



Pores (transverse section) rather numerous, moderately 

 large {.02 to .25 mm. in diameter), round when isolated, ra- 

 dially compressed when two or more vessels are adjacent, 

 open or closed with dark-brown tyloses, and arranged singly, 

 in pairs, or in short radial rows, seldom more than 3, Vessel 

 walls (longitudinal section) with numerous bordered pits and 

 occasionally large simple pits occur where they are in con- 

 tact with pith rays or wood i-arenchyma. ./ood fibers .939 mm. 

 long, with thick walls, small lumina and s:aall slit-like 

 simple pits. vVood parenchyma is abundant, surrounds all ves- 

 sels, and occurs in tangential bands, forming structures 

 which contrast strongly with the bands of harder tissue bor- 

 dering on the outside and inside ( transverse section) . Crys- 

 tals of calcium oxalate i^resent. liays numerous, barely vi- 

 sible under hand lens, from 1 to 3 cells wide, and from a 

 few to 30 or more cells high. 



Distribution, common names and uses 



In Panama the fustic tree is common in the lower, semi- 

 arid belt of the Pacific, where it prefers the i^roximity of 

 the sea-shore and the well-drained banks of the small rivers. 

 It has been more or less exploited, in view of its cominercial 

 value, in the more accessible places. In Costa Hica, it 

 grows Up to about 600 m. above sea level. It is known all 

 over Central America as mora or palo de mora . In the trade 

 the wood is called old fustic , f ustic mulberry . Cuba wood 

 and yellow wood . 



Mora yields valuable yellow, brown, and green dyestuffs 

 and is usually imported into the United States in the form 

 of sticks from 2 to 4 feet long and from 3 to 8 inches in dia- 

 meter, locally, it is used extensively in wheelwright and 

 cabinet work and for all purposes requiring great strength 

 and durability. 



1) Fustic .Vood; Its substitutes and Adulterants, Forest Ser- 

 vice Circular 184. 



