''Terminalia amazonia'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

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, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

in the

Combretaceae The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, G ...

family. It is native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

and has been used for commercial logging. The wood is hard and durable. In Belize, ''Terminalia amazonia'' is widely located in the Mountain Pine Ridge.

Description

This species can grow up to 70m in height. It can reach a diameter of 1 to 3m. The bark is straight. At the beginning, the branches grow horizontally and the apex assumes a vertical position. The bark is thin (1 cm thick) and is grayish brown or yellow with a bitter taste. The leaves are small, dark green and glossy above and light green and opaque below.

Vernacular names

''Terminalia amazonia'' has different names in different countries. In

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, it is known as roble coral, amarillón, canùx, naranjo, volador, amarillo real, guayabo de charco. In

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, it is referred as sombrerete and tepesuchil. In

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, the common names are guyo and chicharrón. In

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

it is referred as nargusta or bullywood. Arispin and acietuno are the common names for

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. Lastly, in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

the common names for Terminalia amazonia are guayabo león and palo prieto.

Ecology

''Terminalia amazonia'' is a tropical tree of humid evergreen forest. It blooms between February and April while the fruit ripens between March and May.

Wood characteristics

The young part of the green wood is light grayish yellow and orange or yellowish when dry. The heart is a little darker and when dry, it acquires a reddish yellow color. There are an approximate average of 2 rings per cm. Terminalia amazonia 0zz

Uses

Because of the wood of ''Terminalia amazonia'' is hard and durable, it is used in general woodwork as well as in floors.

Propagation

Seed trees should be located in stands and have a diameter of at least 40 to 70 cm. The fruit must be ripe since seeds of unripe fruit does not germinate. Once the seeds are harvested, they should be transported with cloth bags and allowed to dry in the sun for two days of three to four hours. Seeds are orthodox and should be kept in airtight containers or 4 °C with moisture content of 6 to 8%.

Pests and diseases

Some ''Terminalia amazonia'' plants present problems of pests during the early stages of development. The attack causes large deformation reducing the quality of the wood. It is common to encounter the problem of "gumming" caused by a virus which causes weakening of the tree until it dies.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15574358 amazonia Trees of Peru Trees of Costa Rica Trees of Belize Trees of Panama