Scientific Name
Poulsenia armata
Trade Name
Mastate
Family Name
Moraceae
Synonyms
Poulsenia aculeata, Coussapoa requoi, Inophloeum armatum
Common Names
Abababite, Carnero, Chirimoya, Cocua, Corbon, Cucua, Cucua damagua, Damagua, Majagua, Maragua, Mastate, Namagua, Tachore, Tumu, Yanchama
Regions of Distribution
Central America, Latin America
Countries of Distribution [VIEW MAP]
Bolivia, Colombia, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru
Common Uses
Boxes and crates, Construction, Furniture, Interior construction, Light construction, Mine timbers, Plywood corestock, Toys, Turnery, Veneer
Environmental Profile
| Status unknown in many of its growth areas | ||||||||||||
| Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center |
Distribution Overview
The geographical range of the species extends from Vera Cruz, Mexico, through Central America and southward into Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia in South America.
Heartwood Color
| Brown | ||||||||||||
| Red | ||||||||||||
| Yellow to golden-yellow to orange | ||||||||||||
| Not clearly defined from sapwood |
Sapwood Color
| Pink | ||||||||||||
| White to yellow | ||||||||||||
| Same as heartwood | ||||||||||||
| Paler than heartwood | ||||||||||||
| Matures to brown or oatmeal upon esposure |
Grain
| Straight | ||||||||||||
| Figure | ||||||||||||
| Interlocked | ||||||||||||
| Even | ||||||||||||
| Other (figure) |
| Straight | ||||||||||||
| Interlocked | ||||||||||||
| Other figure | ||||||||||||
| Straight to interlocked |
Texture
| Fine | ||||||||||||
| Coarse | ||||||||||||
| Coarse | ||||||||||||
| Medium | ||||||||||||
| Generally coarse |
Luster
| High | ||||||||||||
| Pronounced | ||||||||||||
| Lustrous | ||||||||||||
| High |
Natural Durability
| Perishable | ||||||||||||
| Resistant to marine borers | ||||||||||||
| Perishable | ||||||||||||
| Very little natural resistance when in contact with ground | ||||||||||||
| Very durable | ||||||||||||
| Heartwood is susceptible to wood staining fungal attack |
Odor
| No specific smell or taste |
Silica Content
| Siliceous | ||||||||||||
| Severe | ||||||||||||
| Moderate silica contact | ||||||||||||
| Likely to have significant impact on machining | ||||||||||||
| Contains very high levels of silica (>8.0% of dry weight) |
Light-Induced Color Change
| Darker |
Kiln Schedules
| Dry at a moderate speed |
Drying Defects
| No twisting or warping | ||||||||||||
| No surface checking |
Ease of Drying
| Fairly Easy | ||||||||||||
| Moderately Difficult to Difficult | ||||||||||||
| Moderate | ||||||||||||
| Dries with very little or no degrade |
Tree Identification
| Bole/stem form is buttressed |
Tree Size
| Tree height is 20-30 m |
Comments
General finishing qualities are rated as poor
Blunting Effect
| High to severe | ||||||||||||
| Blunting effect on machining is severe | ||||||||||||
| Severe and rapid blunting effect |
Boring
| Fairly easy to very easy |
Carving
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Cutting Resistance
| Gum-Up | ||||||||||||
| Easy to saw | ||||||||||||
| Cutting Resistance with green wood is easy | ||||||||||||
| Surfaces tend to be woolly | ||||||||||||
| Cutting Resistance with green wood is difficult |
Mortising
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Moulding
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Movement in Service
| Stable |
Planing
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy | ||||||||||||
| Difficult to plane | ||||||||||||
| Areas of interlocked grain may cause tearing |
Resistance to Impregnation
| Resistant heartwood | ||||||||||||
| Resistant sapwood | ||||||||||||
| Permeable sapwood | ||||||||||||
| Heartwood is permeable |
Response to Hand Tools
| Responds Readily | ||||||||||||
| Easy to machine |
Routing & Recessing
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Sanding
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Turning
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy | ||||||||||||
| Interlocked grain & silica content affect results | ||||||||||||
| Clean finish is difficult to obtain |
Strength Properties
| Bending strength (MOR) = low | ||||||||||||
| Hardness (side grain) = very soft | ||||||||||||
| Density (dry weight) = 23-30 lbs/cu. ft. | ||||||||||||
| Shrinkage, Tangential = moderate | ||||||||||||
| Shrinkage, Radial = small | ||||||||||||
| Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = very low | ||||||||||||
| Max. crushing strength = medium | ||||||||||||
| Max. crushing strength = low | ||||||||||||
| Low resistance to denting and marring | ||||||||||||
| Density = medium |
Numerical Data
| Item | Green | Dry | English |
| Bending Strength | 6111 | 8372 | psi |
| Density | 25 | lbs/ft3 | |
| Hardness | 327 | lbs | |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 3027 | 5157 | psi |
| Stiffness | 1017 | 1089 | 1000 psi |
| Specific Gravity | 0.31 | ||
| Weight | 25 | 21 | lbs/ft3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 3 | % | |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 7 | % | |
| Item | Green | Dry | Metric |
| Bending Strength | 429 | 588 | kg/cm2 |
| Density | 400 | kg/m3 | |
| Hardness | 148 | kg | |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 212 | 362 | kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness | 71 | 76 | 1000 kg/cm2 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.31 | ||
| Weight | 400 | 336 | kg/m3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 3 | % |
References
Altamirano, S.V.,1992,Maderas de Bolivia (Caracteristicas y usos de 55 maderas tropicals,Camara Nacional Forestal
Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.
Little, E.L.,1948,A Collection of Tree Specimens from Western Ecuador,Caribbean Forester,9(3,pp215-98
Peru – P.A.D.T.,1981,Descripcion general y anatomica de 105 Maderas del Grupo Andino,Junta del Acuerdo de Cartagena, P.A.D.T. Report, Junac, Lima, Peru.
Record, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1940,American Woods of the Family Moraceae,Tropical Woods,8(61,pp11-54
Record, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1943,Timbers of the New World,Yale University Press
Takahashi, A.,1975,Compilation of data on the Mechanical Properties of Foreign Woods (Part 2,Central and South America,Shimane University, Japan, Research Report on Foreign Wood No.4
WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing: Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC, Plants Program, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom