troduced into tropica^-America from India» 
..To indicate to a prospective buyer that this wood is a 
"mohsgany", or that it is a cross between a cedar and mahogany is 
indeed a great mistake, for its relation to any of the trees in the 
family producing the mahogany wood of commerce is no closer then 
that of our .American sums ok. Kor con the espave be classified as 
a cedar, and any attempt on the part of tho trade or individual to 
pass it under the highly improper names of coder or mahogany will 
only add to the already formidable task of introducing the wood in 
to the .American markets. 
The espave is found abundantly throughout Central .America, 
Colombia, and Venezuela , It finds its best development in Co ts 
Hies end Psnsza along the rivers and in low moist soil cn the wett 
or south side of the Continental Divide, but it occurs occasionally 
also at an elevation of about 2,000 feet. While it has been re¬ 
ported by come promoters that in somo locations along the Bsyano ri¬ 
ver the yield is fi’om 20,000 to 4^»000 feet per acre, this is a 
gros l oxag gr eation . 
She tree occurs chiefly in the dense forests where it 
frequently attains a heafcght of 10 u feet and a diameter of three 
or four foot near the ground. The trunks form straight, cylindric¬ 
al columns which are often without branches a or 20 or 4e i cot . The 
espave is on evergreen tree which is easily recognised in the for¬ 
est by its cinnamon brown bark which is more or leas coarse like 
pur .white oak. The leaves are large, oblong, and omewhat : uthory. 
Tho fruit is kidney shaped end is edible . The inner bark yields 
£ milky juice which boccmeo hard, and black as it dries and is used 
sometimes for making varnish. 
Tho wood is moderately soft 
and prone to warp, cheek and shrink . 
and light in weight, weak. 
The cross-grained character 
of the wood often renders it very difficult to work, and is suit- 
