CATALOGUE OF THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 9 



Amarant or Amaranth. 



This name is sometimes applied to a wood that is certainly identical 

 with true purple and purpleheart (q.v.) obtained from British Guiana 

 (Demerara) and Dutch Guiana (Surinam). In France, however, a dis- 

 tinction is drawn between purple and red amarante, so that the same 

 name is appHed to a red wood of unknown origin resembling a padauk 

 (Pterocarpus) or sabicu. 



Amboyna. Source unknown. Weight, 39 lbs. Borneo, the Moluccas. 



The name Amboyna, or kiabooca wood, is applied to certain burrs 

 imported from the Moluccas (including Amboyna) and Borneo. Whether 

 these are all derived from the same species of tree is unknown ; various 

 writers attribute them to species of Pterocarpus or Pterospermum, or to a 

 member of the mahogany family {Flindersia ?). 



The wood is brown, tinged with yellow or red, but changes with age 

 to a dull-brown leather colour. It is marked with little twisted curls and 

 knots in a manner similar to but more varied than bird's-eye maple. 

 With the naked eye it is difficult to distinguish between the burrs of 

 Ambojma-wood and thuya, or even, according to some authorities, of 

 yew ; but though the burr-wood of the yew is similar to that of the other 

 two as regards colour, it nevertheless is unlike them in all other respects. 

 Amboyna-wood has been freely utiHsed in the manufacture of ornamental 

 furniture, especially during the Empire period (1804-14), but after this 

 time its use gradually declined. Quite recently, however, a revival took 

 place on the Continent, particularly in Paris, where a considerable quantity 

 of fine burrs has been converted into veneers and employed in making up 

 costly furniture and interior decorations in motor-cars. 



Under the name of " false Amboyna-wood " there have recently 

 reached Paris some very fine burrs, which measured up to 3 feet in length 

 and 20 inches in width. With the naked eye it is almost impossible to 

 distinguish these from true Amboyna-wood, with which, however, they 

 contrast by their strong and variable, either pleasant or unpleasant, scent. 

 It has not been found possible to trace either the geographical or the 

 botanical source of these burrs. Possibly they may belong to one or more 

 species of Dipterocarps growing in French colonies. 



Amla-ka. Phyllanthus Emblica, Linn. Weight, 52 lbs. India, China, 

 Japan. 



Gamble speaks of this wood as being " red, hard, close-grained, warps 

 and spHts in seasoning, no heart-wood. ... A pretty and ornamental 

 tree, but of not much importance. . . . The wood makes good poles, and 

 is useful for agricultural implements, building, and furniture : it is 

 durable under water and can be used for well-work. 



