240 
[September, 1902.] 
IMPERIAL INSTITUTE JOURNAL. 
Vol. VIII. No. 93. 
WEST INDIAN TIMBERS. 
( By John T. Rea, F.S.I., Surveyor, War Department, ) 
( Concluded from p. arg, August JOURNAL.^ 
60. Mammee Apple ( Mammea Americana ). Found in most of the islands. Also known 
as the South American Apricot. A tall handsome tree, about So feet high and 30 inches 
diameter, with vertically growing; branches and dark green glossy leaves. The wood is dense, 
hard, and heavy, and of a purple or reddish, brown colour. It k very durable, stands damp, 
and is good for rafters, boards, furniture, and cabinet-making. Weight, 60 lb. per foot 
cube. The bark is used as a medicine by the natives. A kind of wine is made from the 
shoots, and a scent from the wild flowers. The gum destroys the chigoes, or “jiggers,” in 
the feet of the negroes. 
61. Mamoori-balli, from the Moraballi creek, Essequebo river, British Guiana. 
This tree is plentiful in Essequebo, and grows best in sandy soil. The average height is 70 feet 
and it can be had to square 16 inches. The wood is tough and hard, and is suitable for house- 
framing and other work where it will not be exposed to the weather. 
62. Manchineel ( Hippomane Mancindla). Grows in most islands, and generally 
found on sandy sea-shores. Sometimes styled the Manzanillo tree. The wood is of a tawny 
yellowish colour, beautifully variegated with brown and white, resembling maple and smell- 
ing like lavender. In some islands it is highly prized for furniture and ornaments, and in 
St. Lucia for studs, verandah floors, boarding, etc., as it is lasting for outside work. It is 
said there are seven different varieties in St. Lucia, and that some do not blister. Weight, 
50 lb. per foot cube. The fruit has the appearance of an apple, but is a virulent poison ; and 
the whole tree abounds with a milky white juice, which is also of an acrid quality. If a 
single drop of this juice touches the skin it causes a hot sensation, and raises a blister on the 
part, the antidote being the adjacent sea water. Blindness is likewise produced if the milk 
comes in contact with the eyes. Careful felling is required, and it is first necessary to kindle 
fires around the stem to thicken the noxious sap. 
63. Mango {flangifera Indtca). Found in every part of the West Indies, where it was 
introduced in the eighteenth century from the East Indies, and now grows spontaneously. 
It is a large umbrageous tree, very plentifully distributed, growing to 3 feet diameter, and 
40 feet high. The leaves arc pointed and thickly set. Gives a pretty red wood, of inferior 
quality, coarse, open grained, and soft. It is durable in dry, but decays if exposed to wet, 
and is much eaten by white ants. It has only a few special uses, but being plentiful and 
cheap it is frequently employed for common work ; but not for beams, as it is liable to snap 
off short. Weight, 42 lb. per foot cube. Cohesive force, 7,700 lb. Breaking weight, 
560 lb. The tree produces a delicious and popular fruit, and the gum is used internally for 
diarrhoea and dysentery. 
64. Mangrove ( Rhizophora). Found in the islands where there are swamps. There 
are three kinds — Black Mangrove (or “native oak ”), Red Mangrove, and White Mangrove. 
The black mangrove is only to be found in wet places, within two miles of the sea. It is 
called “ native oak,” which it resembles, but it is darker and harder. The usual size is 30 to 
50 feet high, and 15 to 20 inches diameter, being the best wood for piles and poles, and 
even more durable than white cedar, but it is comparatively rare. 
The red mangrove belongs to the same family, only instead of being dark brown it is 
red, and the leaves are more pointed. The average height is 60 to So feet, and diameter 15 to 
20 inches. Generally used for piles, poles, fence posts, and for building purposes. 
The white mangrove is likewise of the same order, but the wood is white, and the leaves 
are almost round. Frequently employed for building, and is much used locally for ship- 
building, furnishing “ knees ” that require little moulding to the necessary shape. Average 
size is 60 to 80 feet, and diameter 15 to 20 inches. 
The mangrove grows in a peculiar manner in swamps, the seeds aerially germinating in 
the fruit and forming long roots dropping to the ground, eventually creating a complicated 
labyrinth of inter-dependent trees. Mangrove roots solidify the mud where they vegetate, 
and raise it, and their sanitary value is increased from the tannin yielded to the mud by the 
falling leaves, hark, and seeds, which is a powerful antidote against putrefaction. From its 
astringency the bark is in some places used for tanning, being well known to contain an 
abundance of tannin. All the three varieties of mangrove are employed in house building, 
and occasionally in cabinet work. 
65. Manniballi, from the Moraballi creek, Essequebo river. It grows in dry 
situations, tall and straight, to an average height of 100 feet, with a very small top ; it can be 
had to square 20 inches free of sap. The wood is most durable when free of sap, and is 
superior to greenheart where small sizes are required. It is close grained, and of a brownish 
yellow colour, and produces a sticky yellow gum. 
66. Mastic, or Gommier, or gum tree, ( Busera gummifera). Found in Jamaica, 
Trinidad, St. Lucia, Dominica, etc. There are four varieties of this tree quite distinct from 
each other, namely, the Gommier blanc, Gommier gris, Gommier I’encens, and the Gommier 
maudit. One of the largest trees in the islands, with a buttressed base, and 3 to 6 feet 
diameter. The two former kinds are the largest, and are made into native pirogues, or dug- 
out canoes, by hollowing out the trunk. 
The gommier l’encens, or Incense tree, produces a whitish fragrant gum, which exudes 
on the slightest scratch and is burnt as incense in the Roman Catholic churches, and used as 
a disinfectant. This resin is likewise wrapped in leaves of the ballsier and made into torches 
or flambeaux, and is employed as a substitute for gum-mastic in making varnishes. 
The gommier maudit is grown as fences, as it lives for an indefinite period, while the gum 
is serviceable as a plaster. 
67. Mora (Mora cxcelsa). This tree comes from the Issorooro creek, Upper 
Pomeroon river, British Guiana, and from Trinidad. It grows luxuriantly on sand-reefs 
and barren clays of the coast regions, reaching 130 to 150 feet in height, and squaring 
18 to 20 inches. It often attains a height of nearly 200 feet, but in such cases has generally 
a hollow trunk. For market form the logs are iS to 35 feet long, and 12 to 20 inches 
square. It can even be had to square 24 inches, free from sap and holes. There are three 
sorts, known as Red Mora, White Mora, and Morabucquia. The first two grow in swamps 
and near the rivers and creeks, and arc both very durable woods. Morabucquia on the 
contrary grows in high situations in clayey rocky soil, and is not a durable wood, Mora is of 
a chestnut-brown colour, hard, heavy, tough, strong, and generally straight in the grain, 
but has occasionally a twist or waviness in the fibre which imparts to the logs possessing it a 
beautifully figured appearance, giving to them much additional value. It is very close 
grained, and its exceeding toughness makes it most difficult to split. When clear of sap it is 
very durable, whether in or out of water, and has never been known to be attacked by dry 
rot. By competent authorities it is considered to be superior to oak, and to vie in every 
respect with teak. As it takes a good polish it would be useful as a substitute for rosewood 
or dark Spanish mahogany in cabinet-making, and might be employed for many purposes 
in the domestic arts. The economical uses of mora are somewhat restricted by the 
frequency of star-shake in the logs, and only the best trees can be advantageously converted 
into planks and boards ; it may, however, be used with greater profit for beams, keelsons, 
knees, engine bearers, etc., in shipbuilding, and in a general way in large scantlings for 
either civil or naval architecture. Mora possesses great strength, and is one of the eight 
first-class woods at Lloyds. It contains an oily or glutinous substance in its pores, which 
is probably conducive to its durability. Weight, 65 lb. per foot cube. Crushing strength, 
5*33 tons per square inch. The bark is used for tanning, and medicinally in cases of 
dysentery. The seeds are employed by the Indians to make a kind of meal, which is mixed 
with their cassava. Mora grows to a greater size, and is more plentiful at the Barima river 
than in any other part of British Guiana. 
68. Olivier (Bacida Buteras). Found in Trinidad, Dominica, etc. A large tree, 
30 to 50 feet high, which grows very rapidly, and reaches 2 to 4 feet diameter. The timber 
is valuable, being used for boards, planks, and all kinds of work inside and out. It is very 
durable in water, and excellent for shingles. The wood is difficult to ignite, and does not 
flame. Value, about fS per ton, 
69. Oolu, from the Itoori-bisci creek, Essequebo river, where it grows plentifully in loose 
sandy soil. The wood has a strong aromatic scent, is of the colour of pale cedar, and 
should be useful for drawers and shelves of wardrobes. The average height is 90 feet, and 
it can be had to square 16 to iS inches. Oolu produces a gum, which is burnt as incense. 
70. Orange Tree (Citrus Aurantium), Found in all the islands. A comparatively 
small tree, bearing the well-known sweet fruit. The wood is very tough, and can be utilized 
as handles for axes, hatchets, and other tools. The flowers, leaves, and young shoots yield 
an oil employed in the preparation of perfumery. 
71. Pakoorie, from the Itoori-bisci creek, Essequebo river, where it thrives best in 
loose sandy soil. The average height is 80 feet, and it is a tree the trunk of which is very 
large compared with its height, squaring 36 inches free of sap. When arrived at maturity 
this is a very durable wood, and is used for house-framing and many other purposes. The 
tree produces an edible fruit of the size and colour of a large orange, and a yellow sappy 
gum that is considered valueless. 
72. Pimento (Pimenta vulgaris). Found in Jamaica, Trinidad, St. Lucia, etc. 
Also called Allspice, Baywood, and Jamaica Pepper. This tree is a species of myrtle, and 
grows to a height of 50 feet and 20 inches diameter, with a smooth brown trunk and shining 
green leaves, like those of the Bay. Obtainable in balks, 20 feet by 12 inches by 12 inches. 
There are two kinds of the wood, black and red, and it is employed for posts, fences, 
sleepers, and for naves and felloes of wheels. It is also sent home for umbrella and walking 
sticks. The number of pimento sticks exported from St. Lucia reaches 35,000 per annum. 
Bay rum is distilled from the leaves, which have a strong pleasant smell, and the berries are 
known as a spice and converted into a liqueur. Oil of pimento is obtained by distillation 
from the fruits. 
73. Poui, black or ebony (Tecoma serratl folia). Grows abundantly in Trinidad, and 
is one of the hardest and most durable woods in the colony. There are two other colours, 
grey and green. The height is from 30 to 50 feet, and 2 to 3 feet diameter. The wood is 
used for posts, etc., has a peculiar odour, and takes a fine polish. Value is about ^10 
per ton. 
74. Purple-heart (Copaifera Martii), comes from Trinidad, and the Pomeroon 
river, British Guiana. There are two kinds— Ivoorooboorelli and Marawinaroo. The bark 
of the latter (which is not so durable, and is a more sappy wood than the former) is used by 
the Indians for making canoes, or <£ vvoodskins.” These are sometimes of large size, 
accommodating 15 or 16 persons. Purple-heart is one of the tallest forest trees, and has an 
average height of 120 feet. There are many of the trees even 200 feet high, and they can 
be had to square 30 inches free of sap. The wood is of a deep blue purple colour, 
exceedingly pretty, hard, close-grained, durable, and tough. It is durable for ornamental 
furniture, cabinets, wooden tea-trays, etc., and is adapted for house-framing, mill-beds, and 
other structural purposes, on account of its resistance to great strains. Weight, 63 lb. per 
foot cube. f\z per ton have been obtained for purple-heart when exported to the United 
States ; usual value fio per ton. 
75. Prune Tree (Prunus Occidentals ). Native of the West Indies, Guatemala, and 
Panama. A high tree, growing to 3 feet diameter, with the well-known fruit. The wood 
is of a red colour, resembling cedar, and is very hard and durable. It takes a fine polish, 
and makes beautiful flooring ; also lasts well in water, and is good for piles. From the 
kernels an excellent liqueur is prepared. Weight, 66 lb. per foot cube. Crushing strength, 
3 *43 tons per square inch. 
76. RED Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana). Found in a great many of the islands. A 
light, but dense, fine grained wood, obtainable in scantlings up to 12 inches by 12 inches. 
The heartwood is reddish-brown, the sapwood is white, straight grained and porous. It is 
easily worked, shrinks little, and is durable when well ventilated. Useful for joinery and 
boarding, and has a pleasant smell. Pencils being made of it, it is styled <e Pencil Cedar.” 
The tree grows in rocky soils and in dry situations, and is closely related to the Bermuda 
cedar (Juniperus Bermiidiana). 
There is also a Red Cedar (Idea altissima ), which comes from the Issorooro creek, 
Upper Pomeroon river, British Guiana. This tree averages 100 feet in height, and can be 
had 40 inches diameter ; it generally grows in low situations in clay soil. The wood is most 
valuable and very serviceable, and has little sap. 
77. Rosewood ( Dalbergia sp.). Found in British Honduras, St, Lucia, etc. A tree 
30 to 50 feet high, and 3 feet diameter, with weU-knowffrosy and dark brown coloured wood. 
Very valuable for all kinds of housework, furniture, and cabinet-making, as it is exceedingly 
ornamental and takes a good polish. Weight, 74 lb. per foot cube. Crushing strength, 
571 tons per square inch. Owing to its weight it is difficult to transport by water, being 
heavier. About 200 tons are exported annually from British Honduras. Ziricote is a 
description of Rosewood, also from Honduras. 
78. Santa Maria ( Calophyllum calaba). Found in British Honduras, Jamaica, etc. 
An important forest tree, yielding second-class timber. The height is as much as 150 feet, 
straight as a ship’s mast, and up to 4 feet diameter. The wood is very abundant and on that 
account much used for building, although it is not considered durable. It is suitable for 
heavy machine work, and unsurpassed for shipbuilding. Shingles of an inferior class arc 
split from it, the wood being hard. The seeds ab undantly yield an oil for lamps. 
79. Sabodilla, Naseberry, or Bullet tree (Achras Sapota). Found in nearly all the 
islands. A tall fruit tree, with few branches and dark green shining leaves. It grows as 
much as 30 inches diameter and 100 feet high. r The wood is heavy, hard, durable, and dark 
red in colour. There are two varieties, black a nd red. Adapted for inside house work, 
cabinet-making, and furniture, but difficult to work on account of its extreme hardness. 
Weight, 74 lb. per foot cube. Crushing streng th, 4*30 tons per square inch. The bark 
and seeds have medicinal properties. Owing to the great weight of the wood the logs 
cannot be floated down the rivers to the ports. If this difficulty of transportation is over- 
come, say by the introduction of railways, the w ftod must find its way to European and other 
markets in much larger shipments than is now t 1 tie case. 
80. Satin wood, West Indian ( Fagara , Jlava, ICr. and Urb.). Found in British 
Honduras, Dominica, St. Lucia. Called r jatimvood from its lustrous surface, but in 
Dominica it is named Yellow Sanders, or N03 /er. The tree is comparatively small, about 
30 feet high and 2 feet diameter, but produces a fine hard wood, with agreeable smell, and 
showing cm its polished surface a beautifully r' ippled pattern. It is of a lemon colour, very 
pretty, and is durable in the ground. Great f ivourite for veneering, panels, cabinet work, and 
