Tough, Heavy and Strong, Pau Marfim is Decorative and Hard-Working

摘要

Pau marfim is a creamy colored, heavy, dense wood that grows in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Pau marfim goes by a number of trade names around the world. In Argentina it is called guatambu mo-roti; in Brazil, pau liso, farinha seca, and quatamba. In Peru it is known as quillo bordon; in Columbia it is yomo de huero; while ivorywood is one of its names in the United States and other English-speaking nations. William A. Lincoln reports in his book, World Woods in Color, that the name pau marfim is also used in South America "for other fine-textured, creamy colored woods, especially for species of Aspidosperma." Author Albert Constantine refers as ivorywood in his book, Know Your Woods. "Ivorywood grows in Brazil and has a close, compact grain, displaying a smooth surface resembling ivory, which no doubt is the reason for its name," Constanine says. Constantine describes the wood as rare, highly esteemed in Argentina, but not generally commercially used. Pau marfim is one of those woods with few character markings. Its heartwood and sapwood are very similar in color, ranging from a creamy white to pale yellow to yellow-brown. Sometimes the heartwood will have darker streaks. The wood is dense and fine textured and heavy, tough and strong with excellent shock resistance.