232 



THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



" purin 15 the strongest and most durable of the broad-leaved trees of 

 Xew Zealand." 



PURPLEHE.AP.T. Peliogyne panicul-ata, Benth. Weight, 64 lbs. 2 oz. (fresh 



undiied sample) ; 66 lbs. 4 oz. (my dried sample, Demerara). British. 



French, and Dutch Guiana, Brazh. 



TMs beautiful wood is not sufficiently appreciated m England. It is 



of a dense, close textture, and after planing is ver\- smooth to the touch : 



it is brown to salmon-red when cut, but after exposure to air and 



light it rapidlv becomes purple in colour. The Surinam produces 



a more brilhant colour than that from Demerara. It is xtrx strons 



The Beginning of the Forest 



and durable, and stands exceptionallv well under ditficult strains. On 

 this account it has been used by French motor-carriage builders for 

 the frames of window-sashes and hke purposes. For this it is probably 

 better than any other wood, as it is not injured bv damp or the continual 

 washing, while the fine, smooth grain assists the shding up and down of 

 the windows. It is used for ramrods, marquetr\", and inlav and Uning 

 work, especially in French furniture, in which connection it bears a variety 

 of names, these including " amaranthe " and " palisandre." A sample 

 piece of this wood, labelled by tins latter name, was sent to me for 

 identification, confusion ha^i^g arisen by the fact that in France the 

 name " palisandre " usually indicates rosewood. 



The pores, which are rather small, are evenly distributed, and lara:elv 



