''Myroxylon balsamum'', Santos mahogany, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the family Fabaceae. It is native to

tropical forest Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds. Some tropical fo ...

s from Southern

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

through the Amazon regions of

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

at elevations of . Plants are found growing in well drained soil in evergreen humid forest.

Varieties

According to the

Germplasm Resources Information Network Germplasm Resources Information Network or GRIN is an online USDA National Genetic Resources Program software project to comprehensively manage the computer database for the holdings of all plant germplasm collected by the National Plant Germp ...

, there are two varieties: *''Myroxylon balsamum'' var. ''balsamum'' – Tolu balsam tree *''Myroxylon balsamum'' var. ''pereirae'' (Royle) Harms – Peru balsam tree

Description

The tree is large slow growing, reaching in height. Crown is round with dense foliage and the bark is yellowish with a pungent odor. Leaves alternate, petiolate, including the petioles, the petioles long, and the rachis long. The rachis and petioles are pubescent and terete. Leaflets are acute to acuminate at the apex, obtuse at the base, glabrous, with an entire margin and glandular oil dots. Plants bloom 5 years from seeds during the months of February to June. Flowers are white, pubescent and has around 10 stamens. The fruit is a flat winged pod, narrowly obovate long wide, yellow to brown when dried and drop around November to January. File:Myroxylon balsamum 0zz.jpg, Trunk File:Myroxylon balsamum 1zz.jpg, Limbs File:Myroxylum balsamum 1zz.jpg, Leaves File:Myroxylum balsamum 2zz.jpg, Leaves

Uses

Balsam of Tolu Tolu balsam or balsam of Tolu is a balsam that originates from South America (Colombia, Peru, Venezuela). It is similar to (and frequently confounded with) the balsam of Peru. It is tapped from the living trunks of '' Myroxylon balsamum var. ...

and

Balsam of Peru Balsam of Peru or Peru balsam, also known and marketed by many other names, is a balsam derived from a tree known as '' Myroxylon balsamum'' var. ''pereirae''; it is found in El Salvador, where it is an endemic species. Balsam of Peru is used ...

are the products of the species' resin. They are extracted from different varieties in different ways. They are marketed among a series of intermediaries and exporters, their destinations being Germany, the United States of America, England and Spain, where they are used in the manufacture of cosmetics and medicines (for diseases of the skin, bronchi, lungs and airways, and in the treatment of burns and wounds).. The tree has been planted for Balsam production in West Africa,

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The wood is reddish and has interlocked grain, which gives it a strong ribbon-like pattern, and logs produce a large amount of knot-free lumber. The wood has a

Janka hardness The Janka hardness test (; ), created by Austrian-born American researcher Gabriel Janka (1864–1932), measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear. It measures the force required to embed an steel ball halfway into a sample ...

of and is somewhat resistant to fungal decay. ''Myroxylon balsamum'' wood is used for flooring, furniture, interior trim, and heavy construction. ''M. balsamum'' is often used as a shade tree in coffee plantations.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q15290525 Amburaneae Flora of Central America Trees of Brazil Trees of Mexico Trees of Peru