Sterculia chica
Specifications
Family
Malvaceae
Species
Sterculia chica
Panama tree
Description
The sapwood is pinkish-greyish, while the heartwood is yellowish-orange brown, coarsely textured, and straight-grained. The density ranges from 0.40 to 0.66. Mechanical strength varies from modest to medium; it is rapidly attacked by fungi and insects.
Plant morphology
It is a tree 10-20 m tall, with an erect, cylindrical trunk 40-60 cm in diameter, supported by strong roots; it has light brown, grainy bark. The crown is spreading, and the leaves are simple, long-petiolate, and trilobed. The inflorescences, concentrated at the tips of the branches, consist of yellowish-brown flowers. The fruit is a large, woody, dehiscent capsule that, when opened, forms a highly decorative structure.
Natural occurrence
Countries of origin and distribution
Amazon River Basin: Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Venezuela.
Habitat and ecology
An evergreen, heliophilous, selectively hygrophilous species, it is characteristic of the Atlantic rainforest.
Uses
Application areas
It is used in carpentry, packaging and plywood work.
Technical data
Aesthetic characteristics
Grain
Slightly obvious
Texture
Coarse
Physical and mechanical properties
Density
ρ
ρ
400
kg/m3
Radial shrinkage
Rad. sh.
Rad. sh.
4
MPa
Tangential shrinkage
Tang. sh.
Tang. sh.
52
MPa
Bending strength
M.O.R.
M.O.R.
46
MPa
Modulus of Elasticity
M.O.E.
M.O.E.
6325
MPa
Durability characteristics
Fungal resistance
Not durable
Insect resistance
Not resistant