22  Quebracho.  {^kllll^™* 
QUEBRACHO. 
By  Frederick  L,.  Lewton. 
The  word  "Quebracho,"  contracted  from  the  Spanish  quebra- 
hacha,  signifying  "axe-breaker,"  is  applied  in  South  and  Central 
America  to  a  number  of  trees  possessing  a  very  hard  wood,  but 
which  belong  to  widely  distinct  genera. 
The  natives  mark  these  distinctions  by  some  prominent  charac- 
teristic, as  for  instance  the  color  of  the  wood,  whence  the  names, 
"  quebracho  bianco,"  "quebracho  Colorado,"  "  moreno,"  "  prieto," 
"  negro,"  etc. 
There  are  but  two  of  these  which  have  reached  commercial 
importance:  Quebracho  bianco,  botanically  known  as  Aspidospernia 
quebracho-bianco  Schlechtendal,  belonging  to  the  order  Apocynacece ; 
and  Quebracho  Colorado,  the  name  applied  by  the  natives  to  two 
species  of  Schinopsis,  belonging  to  the  order  Anacardiacece. 
The  first  named  is  found  in  the  Argentine  Republic.  Its  wood  is 
of  a  light  yellow  color,  of  great  hardness  and  durability,  and  is  used 
in  that  country  for  various  purposes.  The  bark,  sold  under  the 
name  of  "Quebracho  bark,"  contains  several  alkaloids  of  medicinal 
value  as  well  as  tannin.  It  is  used  in  the  treatment  of  asthma  and 
in  the  tanning  industries. 
The  medicinal  properties  of  Quebracho  bianco  have  been  known 
for  some  years  but  it  is  of  much  less  commercial  importance  than 
the  Quebracho  Colorado. 
The  latter  name  is  applied  in  the  western  part  of  the  Argentine 
Republic,  and  a  part  of  Chile  to  ScJiinopsis  Lorentzii  (Griseb.)  Eng- 
ler,  while  in  "Paraguay  and  the  eastern  and  southern  parts  of  Argen- 
tine, Schinopsis  Balansce  Engler  receives  the  same  name. 
The  wood  of  these  trees  >  is  of  a  dark  cherry  color,  and  takes  a 
most  beautiful  polish.  It  is  unsurpassed  for  durability  either  in  air 
or  water,  and  fence-posts  made  from  only  a  small  stick  of  it  will  last 
a  lifetime.  Furniture  made  from  Quebracho  wood  is  exceedingly 
handsome. 
But  by  far  the  most  important  use  of  this  wood  is  as  a  tanning 
agent.  As  the  entire  log  is  ground  up  into  a  coarse  sawdust  and 
thus  used,  its  economic  value  is  much  greater  than  other  tanning 
materials  where  only  the  bark  of  the  tree  furnishes  the  desired 
principle. 
While  the  wood  of  Quebracho  Colorado  contains  from  25  to  28 
