Common Names:   Primavera Duranga San juan Palo blanco Cortez Cortez blanco Purchase Prima Vera

Mechanical Values

Environmental Profile
The environmental profile of this species within its geographical range has not been officially assessed. 

Distribution
The geographical distribution of Primavera is reported to include Central America, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. The trees are reported to thrive on moist, rich soils, but have also adapted to dry areas.

Product Sources
It is not known at present whether timber from this species is obtainable from sustainably managed or other environmentally responsible sources but Primavera trees are reported to be grown also in plantations. 

Most of the material on the US market is believed to come from Guatemala, where the law requires Primavera logs to be processed and exported in lumber and veneer forms only. 

Supplies are reported to be scarce in the veneer form, but are somewhat available in lumber form in the United States. The material is reported to be priced in the costly range. Exports to Europe are reported to be very rare.

The value and marketability of the material is reported to be dictated by the time of year the tree is felled: the sap of the tree is reported to rise and fall with the phases of the moon, and the best product is reported to be from trees felled in 'the dark of the moon', when the sap is low.

Tree Data
The tree, which is also planted as an ornamental because of its striking yellow flower, is reported to reach heights of 75 to 100 feet (23 to 30m), with diameters that are commonly 24 to 36 inches (60 to 90 cm), occasionally reaching 48 inches (120 cm). Trunks are straight and clear and are usually 24 to 40 feet (7 to 12 m) long. Plantation trees are reported to mature to marketable sizes in 20 to 35 years.

Sapwood Color
The sapwood is paler than the heartwood, and is not clearly demarcated.

Heartwood Color
Primavera is one of the so-called blonde woods. The freshly-cut wood is pale yellow or cream color, but it darkens to a yellowish rose color with stripes of red, orange, and brown. Primavera is reported to resemble Ceylon satinwood in appearance.

Grain
The wood has straight to interlocked and wavy grain. It is reported to exhibit a ribbon figure which can alternate between light and dark due to the shifting in alignment of bands of fiber at regular intervals. The bands are also reported to dissect further into a wide variety of cross-figures, of which mottle, rain-drop and narrow fiddle-back are the most common. 

Texture
The texture is reported as medium to rather coarse.

Luster
The wood is fairly lustrous.

Odor
The wood has no distinctive odor or taste.

Ease of Drying
The wood is reported to dry easily, with little or no degrade.

Drying Defects
Shrinkage is typically low, and degrade is usually in the form of slight warping or checking.

Kiln Schedules
T6 - F3 (4/4) US

Movement in Service
Properly seasoned wood is reported to be dimensionally stable, and exhibits only small movement in use.

T/R Ratio
1.65
This indicator is more meaningful if it is used together with other drying information and actual shrinkage data in the tangential and radial directions. (Refer to the Numerical Values window).

Natural Durability
The heartwood is reported to have very low natural resistance to decay, and is susceptible to attack by common furniture beetle and pinhole borer. 

Resistance to Impregnation
The heartwood is reported to be moderately difficult to treat. Penetration and retention in the sapwood are reported to be adequate.

Weathering Properties
The wood is reported to have good weathering characteristics.

Sap Content
Sap content is reported to depend upon the time of year the tree is felled.

Blunting Effect
The wood is reported to have medium dulling effect on cutting tools.

Cutting Resistance
Cutting resistance is reported to be medium.

Planing
A reduced cutting angle is recommended when planing quartersawn material containing irregular or interlocked grain.

Turning
Straight-grained Primavera wood is reported to respond well to turning operations, but material with interlocked grain is not recommended for turnery work.

Moulding
Moulding properties are reported to be good.

Boring
The material responds well to boring operations.

Routing & Recessing
The timber has good recessing properties.

Mortising
The wood can be mortised easily.

Carving
Carving properties are reported to be good.

Gluing
The wood is reported to glue without difficulty.

Nailing
Nail-holding qualities are rated as good, but thinner stock may split.

Screwing
The wood holds screws well, but thinner stock should be screwed carefully to prevent splitting.

Sanding
Sanding characteristics are reported to be good.

Polishing
The wood is reported to have excellent polishing qualities.

Staining
The wood takes stains well.

Varnishing
Varnishing properties are reported to be good.

Steam Bending
Primavera is reported to be seldom used for steam bending applications.

Response to Hand Tools
Response to hand tools is reported to be good.

Strength Properties
Bending strength in the air-dry condition is medium, being much weaker than White oak or Teak. Crushing strength is also medium. The wood is soft, and surfaces may dent easily. Weight and density are moderate. 

Comments
The wood is reported to be often substituted for superior hardwoods because it works easily in most machining operations. It is recommended that the tree be felled in 'the dark of the moon', since unlike trees in the temperate regions, the sap rises and falls with the phases of the moon instead of in winter and spring. Harvesting the tree at the suggested period reduces sap exudation from log ends. The sap attracts insects that may damage the timber.