- Lignum vitae
Lignum vitae is the
heartwood of species of the genus "Guaiacum ", the trees of which are also calledguayacan .The name isLatin for "wood of life", and derives from its medicinal uses. Other names arepalo santo ,holy wood ,greenheart andironwood (one of many). The wood is obtained chiefly from "Guaiacum officinale " and "Guaiacum sanctum ", both small, slow growing trees."Bulnesia Sarmientoi", known commercially as Argentine Lignum Vitae, is not genetically related to genuine lignum vitae. "Bulnesia Sarmientoi" is related to, but not the same as "Bulnesia Arborea", known commercially as Verawood.
This wood has a
density between 1.28 and 1.37g per cu.cm., so it will sink inwater . It is a hard, dense and durablewood , the most dense of any known wood. The wood was important for uses requiring strength, weight andhardness . On the [http://uberdense.com Janka Scale of Hardness] , which measures the relative density of various types of wood, lignum vitae ranks highest, with a Janka hardness of 4500 (compared withHickory at 1820, red oak at 1290, andYellow Pine at 690). The heartwood is green in color leading to the common name Greenheart. In the shipbuilding, cabinetry, andwoodturning crafts the term greenheart refers to the green heartwood of the "Chlorocardium " genus trees.Various other hardwoods of
Australasia ("e.g.", theacacia andeucalyptus ) are also called lignum vitae and should not be confused.Verawood "(Bulnesia sarmientoi /arborea)" is an unrelated species also known as Argentine lignum vitae due to similar appearance and working qualities to lignum vitae. It has a strong, fresh aroma and is used asincense .The lignum vitae is the national flower of
Jamaica and the national tree ofThe Bahamas .Lignum vitae is listed in appendix II of
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) as a potentiallyendangered species .Uses
Due to its weight, cricket bails, particularly 'heavy bails' used in windy conditions, are sometimes made of lignum vitae. It is also sometimes used to make
lawn bowls ,croquet mallets and skittles balls. The wood also has seen widespread historical usage in mortars and pestles and for wood carvers' mallets.Master clockmaker
John Harrison used lignum vitae as the basis for his nearly all-woodclock s, since the wood provides natural lubricating oils which do not dry out. For this reason it was widely used in shaft bearings. According to the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association website, the shaft bearings on the WWII submarineUSS Pampanito (SS-383) were made of this wood. (Source:http://www.maritime.org/pamphist.htm) The after main shaft strut bearings for USS Nautilus SSN571; the worlds first nuclear powered submarine were composed of this wood. Also, the bearings in the original 1920's turbines of the Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant on the lowerSusquehanna River were made from lignum vitae.Commonly used in ship's propeller stern-tube bearings, due to its self-lubricating qualities, until the 1960s with the introduction of sealed
white metal bearings.It was the traditional wood used for British police truncheons until recently, due to its density (and strength), combined with the relative softness of wood compared to metal, thereby tending to bruise or stun rather than simply cut the skin.
The resin has been used to treat a variety of medical conditions from
cough s toarthritis . Wood chips can also be used to brew atea .Lore
Pioneering
calypsonian /vaudevillian Sam Manning recorded a song entitled [http://www.jazzoracle.com/catalogue/BDW_8028.asp "Lignum Vitae"] in the 1920s. His reference was doubly salacious, referring to both the bark tea's contraceptive qualities and the phallic symbolism of the hard wood. According toT.H. White 's version of theKing Arthur story "The Once and Future King ", Lignum vitae, from which the staff ofMerlin is made, has magical powers.Gabriel García Márquez 's novel "Love In The Time Of Cholera " includes a bathtub made of this wood in one of the main characters' homes. The belaying pins aboard theUSS Constitution are made from Lignum vitae. Due to its density and natural oils, they rarely require replacement, despite the severity of typical marine weathering conditions.
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