VI. The Quebracho or Sumac Family (Ana is the family to which the sumac and poison ivy of our flora belong. The best known member of this family is the tree that produces the mango fruit (Mangif era in dica L.), a native of the eastern tropics but introduced throughout the western tropics.
1. Quebracho (Argentina and Paraguay). — The wood of this tree (Schinopsis balattuz Engl.) yields a valuable extract much used for tanning purposes and locally it also furnishes a very durable railroad tie. It is logged mostly in northern Argentina and the value of the ex ports of wood and tannin extract reach a higher figure perhaps than the value of all the other exported forest products of South America ex cept rubber. The wood of another species (S. lorentsii [Griseb.] Engl.), also called quebracho, and found in northern Argentina principally, contains tannin, but at the present time it is little used for this purpose. The woods of a number of other South American species of this and other families are called quebracho. These should not be confused with the real quebracho, although some of them do contain tannin.
2. Goncalo Alves (Brazil); Diomate (Co lombia) ; Gateado (Venezuela) ; Urunday (Ar gentina), and other local names for these and other parts of the American tropics. This group of woods comes from several species of the genus Astronium which presumably extends from Central America to northern Argentina. It has been introduced in the United States under the name of king wood. In color the wood is brownish red with black, or nearly black, streaks. It is used for construction pur poses (in Brazil for railroad ties) and as a cabinet and furniture wood.
3. Espava (Panama); Caracoli (Colombia and Venezuela) ; Mija or Mijagua (Venezuela). — This is reddish, moderately soft wood, found in northern South America and adjoining re gions, and is used locally to some extent as a light construction material. From Panama it has been exported to the United States under the name of espave mahogany. It is the product of Anacardium rhinocarpus D. C.
VII. The Teak Family Teak (Tectona grandis Linn.) has long been known as the best shipbuilding timber in the world. The wood is moderately hard, very durable, strongly scented, dark golden yellow in color, turning brown to almost black with age. It is mainly the product of Burma and India, though there are extensive plantations in Java and smaller ones in other parts of the eastern tropics. In the Philippines, Molave (Vitex
pavillora Juss.) is another member of this family that is locally very much used, espe cially for shipbuilding and construction work in contact with the ground.
VIII. Miscellaneous A group Viii. Miscellaneous A group of woods known as Lepacho (Argentina), !pi or Pao d'arco (Brazil), Surinam Greenheart (Guiana), Araguanay (Venezuela), Guayacan (Colombia, Ecuador and Panama) and many other local names, are of a greenish or brown ish yellow color, hard, durable and much used for heavy construction work in contact with the ground. They belong to various species of the genus Tecoma (Catalpa or Bignotseaceee family). Some guayacan has been shipped to the United States under the name of Lignum Vita. (See below).
2. Peroba.—This is the generic common name for a group of rose colored or brownish yellow woods that occupy the most common place in the hardwood markets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo (Brazil). They are moderately hard, easily worked, and are used for heavy and light construction work, interior finish and for making furniture. The peroba rosa (known as carreto in Colombia and Venezuela), and in part the peroba amarello (Brazil), are the prod uct of certain species of Aspidosperma (Apo cynacee). Much of the peroba amarello seems to come from certain species of Tecoma of the Bignoniacecr.
3. West Itidia or Venezuela Boxwood.— The growing scarcity of the true boxwood (Buxus sempervirens L.), valuable for rulers and wood engraving, has led to the introduction of some tropical woods as substitutes. The chief candi dates for these substitutes seem to he the fol lowing: (a) Roble blanco, a Tecoma species (Bignoniacem) from Venezuela and West In dies; (b) species of Casearia (Flacourtiacere), principally from the Maracaibo region of Vene zuela, and certain species of Aspidosperma (Apoeynacecr) from Venezuela. The last two usually are known under the name of capatero. Certain species of Aspidosperma under the name of piguid marfim or (marble) are found in southern Brazil, although these seem not to have been exported as boxwood. The woods mentioned above are light yellow in color, fine grained, and hard and compact.