204 WOODS OF COMMERCE 



Lignum-vitae, Maraeaibo {Gudiacum arboreum DC). Brazil, 

 Paraguay. " Palo Santo." S.G. 1,306. W 69. Sometimes 60— 

 70 ft. long, and 1 — 2 ft. in diam., brown, excessively hard, fine and 

 close in grain. 



Lignum-vitse in 'New Zealand {Metrosideros scdndens Banks and 

 Sol.: Order Myrtdcece). Known also as " Akibaum." A creeper 

 " growing up the stem and over the tops of the tallest trees in the 

 New Zealand forests ... so exceedingly like the Rata (If. robusta) 

 in wood, bark, leaf, and flower, that I could never distinguish any 

 difference between them " (Laslett). 



Lilac, Persian. See Bead-tree. 



Lilly-pilly [Eugenia Smithii Poir. : Order Myrtdcece). Eastern 

 Austraha. Height 80—120 ft. ; diam. 1—3 ft. S.G. 935—898. 

 Close-grained, but liable to split in seasoning and to dry-rot. Used 

 for axe-handles. 



Lima-wood. See Peach-wood. 



Lime, a corruption of Line, also known as Linden {Tilia corddta 

 Miller, platyphyllos Scop, and argentea Desf. : Order Tilidcece). 

 Europe, the last-named only in the south-east, French '' Tilleul."" 

 Germ. " Linde," T, corddta being known as " Winterlinde," T. flaty- 

 phyllos as " Sommerlinde." Buss. " Lipa." Height 20 — 90 ft. ; 

 diam. 1—4 ft. S.G. 794— 522. W 29-5— 32-5. Pale yellow, white, 

 or reddish-white, light, soft, close-grained, easily spht, with a 

 feebly silky lustre, not very durable, being liable to become " worm- 

 eaten "; annual rings indistinct ; pith-rays fine but distinct ; vessels 

 scarcely visible, equally distributed. Though not durable where 

 exposed to the weather, Linden wood stands fairly well when 

 thoroughly dried and kept in a uniform atmosphere or protected 

 by paint or varnish. Used for sabots, and in Japan for " getta,'' 

 or sandals, as blind-wood in pianofortes and other furniture, in 

 turnery, especially for druggists' boxes, for carving, as in the 

 beautiful work of Grinling Gibbons, for leather-cutters' planks, and 

 for gunpowder-charcoal. It makes good sounding-boards for 

 pianos, and has been imported from Lithuania for this purpose. 



Lime, American, See Bass-wood. 



Locust, in Guiana and the West Indies (Hymencea Gourharil L. : 

 Order Leguminosce). " Simiri," '' Courbaril." 8fan. " Algarrobo." 

 Height 60—80 ft. ; diam. 8—10 ft. S.G. 1,191—904. W 33-25— 

 59. E 549—1,018 tons. / 4-54— 8-13. /c 2-23— 5-41. fs -49— 

 •585. R 333 kilos. Pine reddish-brown, streaked with darker 

 veins, hard, compact, close and even-grained, easily worked, elastic, 

 taking a beautiful polish, not splitting or warping in seasoning. 

 Used for ships' planks, engineering, tree-nails, furniture, and 

 cabinet-work, and suitable for cogs. 



