2. Apitong (Philippines) ; Kruen (Borneo and Malay); Eng. (Burma), and other names for these and other regions.— This group of woods belongs to the genus Dipterocarpus. In contrast with lauan, apitong is a moderately, not very durable, hard wood, of a reddish brown color. It finds its greatest use for heavier construction purposes not in contact with the ground.
3. Yacal (Philippines) ; Selangan batu (British North Borneo and Dutch East Indies) ; Ressak (Dutch East Indies) ; Thingan (India), and other local names for these and other regions.—This group of woods is the product of certain species of the genera Hopea and Shorea. The yacals are dark brown in color and are the hard, durable woods of this family. They are comparatively easily worked and are most valuable for construction work in contact with the soil and any construction where dura bility and great strength are required. They are a good substitute for teak in many classes of shipbuilding.
4. Guijo (Philippines) ; Sal (India).— These woods are like the apitongs but finer grained and more durable. The Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn, f.) is one of the most important tim bers of India. The guijo (Shorea guiso [Blanco] Blume) is one of the most useful timbers of the Philipnines.
5. Borneo camphor; Kapor (Malay name).— This wood, the product of Drvobalanops aromatic° Gartn. yields a substance that closely resembles camphor for which it is sometimes used. It is known only from Borneo, Sumatra, and the southern end of the Malay Peninsula.
IV. The or Monkey Pot Family (Lecytkidacec•).— This family is confined mostly to South America. The woods of the family, while at present little used, promise to i play an important role in the future lumber n- dustry of South America, because in many places the members of the family are very abundant. The important members of the family have large cup-shaped fruits, called by the English monkey pots. The trees of the family are the giants of the forests, and in parts of the Magdalena Valley, the Amazon Valley, British Guiana and the coastal forests of Brazil they form the most important element in the composition of the forest.
1. Brazil nut; castanheiro (Brazil).— The Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa H.B.K.) is one of the largest trees of the Amazon and is the source of the Brazil nuts of commerce. Be cause of the value of the nuts the wood is little used.
2. Colombian mahogany, Albarco (Colom bia).— The wood of this tree is the product of Cariniana pyriformis Miers. It is abundant in foothills bordering the large rivers. Because of the resemblance to mahogany it has been shipped to the United States under the name of Colombian mahogany.
3. leguitibe (Brazil).—This is the product of several species of Cariniana (by some authors, Couratari) and is abundant in the coastal forests from Bahia to Sao Paulo, and the interior of the state of Sao Paulo. The
wood is reddish, comparatively soft and would make a better substitute for mahogany than albarco, because it is more easily worked. In Brazil it is used for construction purposes.
4. Monkey pots, Coco de Mono (Colombia) ; Kakeralli (British Guiana) ; Sapucaya (Brazil). —This group of woods is the product of several species of the genus Lecythis and occurs from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Panama. The wood, red dish brown in color, is used locally for con struction purposes in contact with the ground, and in Brazil is especially valuable for: railroad ties. Several species from Brazil with the name of sapucaya furnish the so-called of commerce.
5. Other woods in the Amazon Valley worthy of mention are the following: Matamata (Eschweilera tnatanusta and other species) is a wood highly valued for salt-water construc tion because it resists well the action of the shipworm (teredo). The tauarys are products of several species of the genus Couratari and are used locally for shipbuilding.
V. The Laurel Family sides producing the cinnamon (Cinnamonum zeylanicum Breyn.), found in South and West India, and Ceylon where it is extensively culti vated; the camphor (Cinnamonum camphora IL.] Nees & Eberm.) principally from Formosa; and the alligator pear, or aguacate, or avocado (Persea americana Mill.), originating in parts of the American tropics and widely cultivated, this family produces a great variety of timbers found scattered throughout the tropics. In the American tropics many of these timbers occur under the general names of canella (Spanish and Portuguese), laurel (Spanish) and louro (Portuguese). The best known woods are the following: (1) heart (Nectandra rodioei Schomb.) found prin cipally in British Guiana from which country it is exported as a first-class wood for salt-water construction purposes. Large quantities of it were used in the building of the Panama Canal. When fresh cut the wood is grayish brown in color but on exposure turns to a dark green or chestnut color. (2) Billion or Borneo Iron wood (Eusideroxylon swageri T. and B.) is the eastern counterpart of the greenhtart so far as use is concerned. It is exported mostly from British North Borneo. The wood is yellow when fresh cut, but on exposure turns to a glossy brown. (3) Embuia (species of Nectandra) is the timber de luxe of Darts of Southern Brazil and because of its great durability is extensively used as a railroad tie. It occurs in the Parana pine forests of the states of Parana and Santa Catharina, Brazil.