Scientific Name
Nectandra sp.
Trade Name
Canelo
Family Name
Common Names
Aguacatillo, Ayui y, Canela, Canelo, Laurel, Pisi, Silverballi
Regions of Distribution
Central America, Latin America
Countries of Distribution [VIEW MAP]
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
Common Uses
Bedroom suites, Boat building, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Core Stock, Decks, Decorative plywood, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Factory flooring, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, General carpentry, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Living-room suites, Millwork, Office furniture, Parquet flooring, Plain veneer, Planks, Plywood, Radio – stereo – TV cabinets, Veneer
Environmental Profile
| Status has not been officially assessed |
Distribution Overview
The genus Nectandra consists of about 100 species of trees and shrubs that are widely distributed in tropical America. Highest concentrations are reported to occur in South America.
Heartwood Color
| Red | ||||||||||||
| Brown | ||||||||||||
| Pink | ||||||||||||
| Purple | ||||||||||||
| Light reddish-brown to yellowish-brown | ||||||||||||
| Greenish to greyish |
Timber from species in the genus are very similar in characteristics, and are very difficult to differentiate. Heartwood color is brownish yellow with a green cast, or olive to light olive brown. The color turns to blackish brown in some Nectandra species
Sapwood Color
| White | ||||||||||||
| Yellow | ||||||||||||
| Whitish | ||||||||||||
| Brown |
Sapwood merges gradually into the heartwood in most species
Grain
| Even | ||||||||||||
| Straight | ||||||||||||
| Figure |
| Straight to roey |
Texture
| Fine | ||||||||||||
| Medium | ||||||||||||
| Medium coarse to coarse |
Luster
The wood has a satiny or silky luster
Natural Durability
| Durable | ||||||||||||
| Non-resistant to powder post beetles | ||||||||||||
| Susceptible to insect attack | ||||||||||||
| Susceptible to termite attack | ||||||||||||
| Durability varies with species |
Darker colored timbers are generally more resistant to attack by decay fungi
Odor
| Wood has a spicy odor | ||||||||||||
| Taste ranges from mild to pronounced |
Drying Defects
| Slight tendency to check and warp |
Ease of Drying
| Variable | ||||||||||||
| Dries at a moderate rate with little degrade. | ||||||||||||
| Air-dries rather well |
Nectandra timbers are reported to air-dry at a fast to moderate rate, with little or no degrade
Tree Size
| Tree height is 30-40 m |
Tree dimensions are reported to vary with species. The trees develop straight boles of good form, and some of them are buttressed
Product Sources
All trees in the genus are reported to yield timber of good quality for carpentry and general construction.
The ITTO reports that timber produced by species in the genus is produced in abundance and is exported regularly.
Comments
Timber produced by species in the genus are suitable for many of the the same applications as Yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera ) and Birch (Betula)
Carving
| Very good results |
Cutting Resistance
| Low cutting resistance |
Gluing
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy | ||||||||||||
| Good gluing properties |
Mortising
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Moulding
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Movement in Service
| Very stable after kiln drying |
The timbers are very stable after manufacture, and undergo minimal dimensional changes in response to fluctuations in surrounding conditions
Nailing
| Poor to Very Poor Results | ||||||||||||
| Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult |
Planing
| Poor to Very Poor Results | ||||||||||||
| Yields smooth surfaces | ||||||||||||
| Yields clean surfaces | ||||||||||||
| Responds well to hand and machine tools | ||||||||||||
| Excellent woodworking properties |
Nectandra timbers are reported to have excellent woodworking properties. They plane, turn, bore, mould, mortise, and rout readily and they respond very well to machine and hand tools to yield clean, smooth surfaces
Resistance to Impregnation
| Heartwood is extremely resistant |
The heartwood is comparable to teak in its water-absorption properties. It is difficult to treat, and is rated as highly resistant.
Response to Hand Tools
| Easy to Work | ||||||||||||
| Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work | ||||||||||||
| Easy to machine |
Routing & Recessing
| Poor to Very Poor Results |
Sanding
| Yields smooth surfaces |
Turning
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy | ||||||||||||
| Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult |
Painting
| Takes paint well |
Polishing
| Very good |
Strength Properties
| Weight = medium | ||||||||||||
| Very dense | ||||||||||||
| Surfaces may dent or scratch easily | ||||||||||||
| Soft | ||||||||||||
| Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high |
The species has high bending strength in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content). It compares favorably with Teak, which also has high bending strength. Teak, White oak, and Hard maple have high crushing strength. Surfaces may dent or scratch easily since the wood is soft. The weight is medium. The wood has high density
Numerical Data
| Item | Green | Dry | English |
| Bending Strength | 8472 | 12103 | psi |
| Density | 38 | lbs/ft3 | |
| Hardness | 686 | lbs | |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 4243 | 7140 | psi |
| Shearing Strength | 1448 | psi | |
| Stiffness | 1436 | 1678 | 1000 psi |
| Toughness | 121 | inch-lbs | |
| Work to Maximum Load | 8 | 12 | inch-lbs/in3 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.48 | ||
| Weight | 40 | 33 | lbs/ft3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 3 | % | |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 6 | % | |
| Volumetric Shrinkage | 10 | % | |
| Item | Green | Dry | Metric |
| Bending Strength | 595 | 850 | kg/cm2 |
| Density | 608 | kg/m3 | |
| Hardness | 311 | kg | |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 298 | 502 | kg/cm2 |
| Shearing Strength | 101 | kg/cm2 | |
| Stiffness | 100 | 117 | 1000 kg/cm2 |
| Toughness | 139 | cm-kg | |
| Work to Maximum Load | 0.56 | 0.84 | cm-kg/cm3 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.48 | ||
| Weight | 641 | 528 | kg/m3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 3 | % | |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 6 | % |
References
Chichignoud, M., G. Deon, P. Detienne, B. Parant and P. Vantomme. 1990. Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America. International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO, Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Division of CIRAD, 45 bis Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, Nogent-sur-Marne, CEDEX, France.
Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.
Lavers, G. M. 1966. The Strength Properties of Timbers. Forest Products Research Bulletin, No. 50. Ministry of Technology, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London.
Record, S.J. and R.W. Hess. 1943. Timbers of the New World. Published on the Charles Lathrop Pack Foundation, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT.