Our Native Tree Species

7 Native Tree Species of Central America
The mixed native species model by Futuro Forestal
A guide to our native tree species
Futuro Forestal is a Timber Investment Management Organization, headquartered
in Latin America. Since 1994 we have been reforesting with a mix of exotic and
native species. We are one of the best known tropical native species experts in
the world. One of our specialties is using our soil analysis expertise to determine
the optimal mix of tree species generating the highest yield and biodiversity.
In the intensive usage area of our system, up to seven species of high quality
timber are included in our portfolio. This model diversifies both economic and
ecological risks.
This native species guide introduces you to those 7 tropical hardwood species.
Yellowwood
Mahogany
Shoemaker’s Tree
Almond Tree
Spiny Cedar
Rosewood
and
Teak (exotic species)
Amarillo/ Yellowwood/ Amarillo
Specie: Terminalia amazonia; Family: Combretacea
Common names: Amarillo, Amarillón, Amarillo carabasuelo, Amarillo real,
Carboncillo, Roble Coral
Commercial name: Nargusta
This is a tropical genus composed of approximately 250 species, some of which
produce excellent wood. T.
amazonia, is the most widely
distributed species of this
genome in the new world
tropics. It pertains to the
group of pioneer trees of the
tropical humid forest. It is
widely distributed from the
south of Mexico to the north
of Brazil.
It is a tall tree and a
dominant species in the
evergreen rainforest and
very wet forest. It can reach
heights above 50 m (164
feet), and in some forests,
up to 70 m (230 feet) and reaches 120 to 150 cm (4 to 5 feet) DBH. Usually it
has a straight trunk, frequently grooved in the basal third. It has conspicuous
buttresses (easy to observe), which are longer and wider when the species grows
in swampy areas.
Amarillo wood is heavy or very heavy. Based on its physical and mechanical
properties, the timber is of high or excellent quality. Its natural durability and
fungal resistance could vary with origin, and it has moderate resistance to termite
attack.
The timber is commonly used in heavy general interior and exterior construction,
cabinetwork, floors (parquet), decorative veneers, bridge foundations, and boats.
Caoba/ Mahogany/ Mahagoni
Specie: Swietenia macrophylla Family: Meliaceae
Common Names: Caoba, Mahogany, Mahagony, Mara, Aguano, Chacalte,
Acaqiu.
Commercial Name: Honduras Mahogany
Widely distributed species
of the tropical humid
forests. It is found in all of
the tropical New World from
Mexico to Brazil. It grows
from sea level to 1000
meters above sea level, in
temperature varying
between 26° C y 35° C and
with rainfall in the range of
2000mm per year. It grows
best in deep, well-draining
soils with a high organic
content.
The trees grow 20-45
meters tall (Up to almost
150 feet), with a maximum
trunk diameter of 2 meters (approximately 7 feet!) The trees can live up to 350
years and are either deciduous or evergreen.
The young Mahogany wood is light but if it is stained and polished will become a
beautiful reddish brown. The same occurs with age. The wood can be used for
several applications because of its strength and density. It has a straight grain,
and a fine, even texture which accepts many kinds of stains.
Zapatero/ Shoemaker’s Tree/ Zapatero
Specie: Hyeronima alchorneoides; Family: Euphorbiaceae
Common Names: Pilón, Nancitón, Pantano, Zapatero.
Commercial name: pilón wood; bully tree wood
A species of the tropical
humid forests, it is found
from Belize to the Amazon
in South America and the
Antilles, the north of Peru
and Brazil.
This species’ frequency has
been reduced lately in the
primary forest; nevertheless
it can regenerate in the
secondary forest.
Hyeronima alchorneoides is
a tall, emergent tree. It may
reach between 45 and 50
m (148.5 and165 feet) in
height and 120 to 150 cm
(3.96 to 4.95 feet) DBH (diameter at breast height).
Pilón has a straight and cylindrical trunk with little-extended but well-defined
buttresses. The bark is fissured, broken, and gray-red-brown colored and exfoliates in
thin layers. Internally it is pink or light red and contains a large amount of tannins.
Pilón is renowned for its very heavy, dark maroon–colored wood, which is a wood
appreciated in industry. This timber is frequently used for general heavy
construction (interior and exterior), marine pilings, boat construction, structures
for bridges, railway ties, etc., and for furniture and decorative veneer.
In addition to its importance for timber, this tree species’ importance as a
seasonal food source and forage for forest animals makes pilón a vital ecological
component of the forests and makes this tree even more valuable left standing.
Almendro de montaña/Panamanian Almond Tree/ Mandelbaum Panama
Species: Dipterix panamensis, Family: Fabaceae, sub-family Papilionedae
Common Names: Almendro, Almendro de Montaña, Tonka Bean.
Commercial name: tonka bean wood
A tree of great size and
beauty belonging to the
group of species of the
tropical humid forests and
Atlantic coast regions. It is
found from the Mosquito
Coast of Honduras through
Nicaragua, Costa Rica,
Panama all the way to
Colombia and the
Caribbean. Dipteryx
panamensis is an endemic
tree species, meaning that
it has a narrow distribution.
It is only located in the
southern Nicaragua area,
Costa Rica, Panama, and
Colombia, where it grows primarily in the lowlands of the Atlantic plains.
It is an emergent tree, in humid and very humid tropical forests, where annual
temperatures vary between 24º and 30ºC (75º and 86ºF), and the annual rainfall
is more than 3500 mm (138 inches), at elevations ranging from 20 to 1000
meters (66 to 3281 feet) above sea level.
Despite being a slow-growing tree, in the natural forest Dipteryx has done best in
clearings and well-illuminated forest edges. It also does well in grasslands and
ranchlands. This tree may reach a great height, a condition that allows the great
green macaw (Ara ambigua) to nest safely in the holes left by dry branches.
Dipteryx panamensis is a large-size tree that can reach 60 m (197 feet) in height
and 1 to 1.6 m (3.25 to 5.25 feet) in diameter.
The wood of the almendro has an extraordinary hardness, and it is considered as
one of the heaviest woods around the world. But it was not used until the mid1980s because it was so difficult to saw and work with due to its weight and
density. This handsome wood is becoming more and more popular, as its
hardness makes it useful in heavy construction projects like railroad and bridge
building.
Cedro espino/ Spiny Cedar/ Stachelzeder
Species: Bombacopsis quinatum; Family Bombacaceae.
Common Names: Cedro Espino, Pochote.
Commercial name: Red Ceiba
Its
natural
distribution
is
from
Honduras to Venezuela; it is found
from sea level up to 900 meters
above sea level, in areas with annual
average rainfall of 800 mm to 2200
mm with a well defined dry season of
3 to 5 months.
Bombacopsis
quinata
reaches
a
height of 40 m and a trunk diameter
of more than 1 m in natural stands.
Its most distinguishing features are
its spiny main stem, fluted base, a
rather wide spreading crown of heavy
branches and a somewhat irregular bole inclined to be buttressed and completely
clothed with heavy prickles towards the base; bark pale greyish-brown, trunk and
branches generally covered by hard, stout spines up to 2 cm long; degree of
spininess is extremely variable, as some trees are completely spineless.
The heartwood of B. quinata is reddish in colour and the sapwood cream or white.
The wood is known for its durability and workability; it is used for furniture, doors,
window and ceiling frames, roof construction, interior panelling, particleboard,
plywood and veneer.
Cocobolo/ Rosewood/ Rosenholz
Species: Dalbergia retusa; Family: Fabaceae (Papilionoideae).
Common Name: Palo de Rosa.
Rosewood is a tree native to the
Mesoamerican region from Mexico to
Panama.
A medium-sized tree with a straight
trunk that is usually cylindrical trunk but
somewhat rather irregular, and which
frequently branches near the base. The
bark has clear vertical fissures. The
wood is hard, heavy, and lustrous in
color. The indigenous Embera and
Wounaan peoples are famous for their
fine carvings of native animals. The
wood is fine with a reddish brown color,
and is naturally oily. Because the tree
does not have a straight trunk, cocobolo is used mostly for smaller items like
furniture, jewelry boxes, artisanry, and tools. The cocobolo's roots fix nitrogen,
which improves soil quality.
Teca/ Teak/ Teak
Species: Tectona grandis; Family Verbenaceae.
Common Names: Teak, Teca. O
Teak is a tropical hardwood species native to South and Southeast Asia.
Originating from India and Burma, it extends from the Malay Peninsuala through
Indonesia. They are large trees, growing to 30–40 m tall, deciduous in the dry
season. Teak is one of the most popular species to grow on forestry plantations.