THE CUBA REVIEW 17 



JUCARO 



Jucaro is one of the most widely distributed of the West Indian and tropical American 

 timber trees. It may be considered as one having an established value and occurring in suffi- 

 cient quantities to be a commercial factor in Cuba and other parts of the West Indies. The 

 wood is known in the trade chiefly as jucaro, but the tree has a number of other local names 

 which may be of interest. In Cuba it is called arara, jucaro de playa and jucaro prieto; in 

 Haiti it is the bois grisgris; in Porto Rico it is variously known as near, ucar bianco, hucar, 

 hucar bianco and bucaro; in Jamaica it is referred to as black or wild olive or olive bark; and 

 in Antigua as olivier or French oak. The botanical nomenclature is also somewhat confused, 

 but the name under which jucaro was described by Linnaeus, Bucida buceras, is now receiving 

 general recognition in systematic botany and will probably hold in preference to other proposed 

 scientific names. The generic term Bucida is derived from the Latin word hous, meaning bull, 

 because the flower spike of this tree occasionally develops into a monstrous size resembling a 

 bull's horn. The specific name buceras is from bous and cera. The latter name means wax 

 alluding to the waxy appearance of the spiny horn-like excresenses of the fruit stalks. 



The tree belongs to the myrobalan or white mangrove family {Combretaceae) of plants, 

 which is one of the natural groups that furnishes so many products useful to man. Practically 

 all of the plants in this group contain astringent properties (tannin) in commercial quantities, 

 while many yield excellent timber. A number of them are cultivated for ornament. The 

 tannin-containing fruits known in the trade as myrobalans are produced by closely allied 

 trees, Terminalia bellerica and T. chebula. The bark of Bucida buceras is used for tanning pur- 

 poses in many parts of the West Indies, where it is greatly esteemed among tanners. 



Jucaro is found on practically all the islands of the West Indies and in many parts of the 

 Spanish Main. It may be said that it is nowhere very abundant, but it occurs most plentifully 

 and attains its best development in the low swampy lands along rivers and near the ocean. In 

 Florida it grows only on the southern keys where the soil is permanently wet. In Cuba jucaro 

 occurs in commercial quantities in many parts especially in the low lands along the southern 

 side of the island. It has been reported to be uniformly distributed thorughout Porto Rico 

 where the tree does not grow to very large size. Like the majority of tropical trees it exhibits 

 considerable partiality to good soil and uniform climatic conditions for its best development. 

 Dr. B. E. Fernow described the tree as being ubiquitous, mostly along the shores; the jucaro 

 which grows up to the crests of the higher Sierra maestra he suspects to be another species. 

 The trees reach a height of 40 to 60 feet and from three to four feet in diameter; in Porto Rico 

 the trees rarely attain a trunk diameter of more than one foot. The jucaro is inclined to be 

 limby especially in the open; in the dense low land forest in Cuba logs can be gotten about 35 

 feet long and 16 inches square. 



Mr. J. R. Baterden in his book entitled "Timber" describes the wood of jucaro as follows: 

 "The wood is dark brown in color, somewhat resembling black walnut, is free from knots of 

 fine grain and very hard, strong, tough and elastic." Mr. G. S. Boulger, another English author- 

 ity on woods, states that jucaro is between olivewood and satinwood in character. As to color 

 the wood varies considerably from almost white or ashy brown to nearly black depending upon 

 the age of the tree and the nature of the soil in which the tree grew. It is very hard, heavy 

 (about 62 pounds per cubic foot) strong, tough and very durable in water and in contact with 

 the soil. It is said to be proof against white ants and is especially prized for its resistance to the 

 teredo as a wharf timber. Another important property of jucaro is that it burns only with 

 difficulty and will not flame. It is very fine-grained and compact and takes a very high polish 

 which it retains. In a smooth transverse section it may be noted that the pores are very small, 

 numerous, solitary and evenly distributed. The pith rays are narrow and equidistant. 



Jucaro is a wood of considerable commercial importance in Cuba for it has a great many 

 local uses. It was formerly used rather extensively and is employed ever at the present time 

 for knees in building small boats. Its chief use is for wharf timbers and it is also available for 

 making spokes of wagon wheels, handles, shelves in houses, mallets, wooden cogs, shingles and 

 for work requiring a strong and durable wood. Mr. Baterden states that jucaro is used a good 

 deal in Cuba for shipbuilding and for heavy work such as piling and dock construction; it was 



