Trade Names:  Imbuia

Origin:  South America

Range:  South America, especially South Brazil: Parana and St. Catarina; moist soils of tropical mountainous rain forests growing at lower altitudes.

Uses:  Veneers are used primarily for architectural applications.

Properties:  The heartwood can be a rarity of colors ranging from yellow to olive to tan, to dark brown. The tree provides wide range of figure types as well such as burl, cluster, fiddleback, mottled, "elephant skin". No two logs look alike. The most consistent character of all trees is the strong smell of the wood. The wood is durable and resistant to insect attack, moderately hard, of medium weight and elastic.

Machining:  To produce smooth, non-checked surfaces Imbuia Burl must be very carefully worked due to its burl formation. When cleanly machined the surfaces have a beautiful luster which can also facilitate further treatment.

Seasoning:  The wood must be dried very slowly and extremely carefully because Imbuia is strongly prone to warping and has a strong tendency for checking.