''Astronium graveolens'' is a species of

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

tree in the

cashew The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus ''Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf cult ...

family,

Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...

, that is native to the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...

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 Guatema ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

as far south as

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. Common names include glassywood, ronrón (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

), and aroeira (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

). This plant is cited in ''

Flora Brasiliensis ''Flora Brasiliensis'' is a book published between 1840 and 1906 by the editors Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, August Wilhelm Eichler, Ignatz Urban and many others. It contains taxonomic treatments of 22,767 species, mostly Brazilian angiosper ...

'' by

Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius Carl Friedrich Philipp (Karl Friedrich Philipp) von Martius (17 April 1794 – 13 December 1868) was a German botanist and explorer. Life Martius was born at Erlangen, the son of Prof Ernst Wilhelm Martius, court apothecary. He graduated PhD f ...

Description

''Astronium graveolens'' grows to a height of . The trunk can have a diameter of up to and is straight and cylindrical. At the base it has buttresses which may be about tall. The crown is rounded with irregular branches. The bark is grey, shiny and smooth, with paler patches where pieces have peeled off. The leaves are alternate and pinnate, with five to seven oblong or obovate leaflets with pointed tips. The tree flowers during the dry season. The flowers are hermaphrodite, small, yellowish-green in axillary or terminal panicles. The fruit is a drupe-like nut, blue ripening to black, with semi bitter flesh and a single seed. This plant is also called "gateado", according to Webster's Third New International Dictionary

Timber

When fresh, the heartwood of ''Astronium graveolens'' is reddish-brown or orange-brown with variable width stripes of medium to dark brown. The timber becomes darker after exposure to the air and the stripes become nearly black. The sapwood is up to thick and is whitish or dull grey. The timber is fine-grained, dense and durable, and resistant to rot. It is used for heavy duty construction work, joinery, veneers and furniture. Speciality uses include turnery, carving, knife handles, brush backs, bows for archery and billiard cues.

References

External links

''Astronium fraxinifolium''

''Astronium graveolens''

photo
Flora Brasiliensis: ''Astronium graveolens''
* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q10292530 graveolens Trees of Brazil Trees of Bolivia Trees of Central America Trees of Colombia Trees of Ecuador Trees of Peru Trees of Venezuela Trees of the Yucatán Peninsula Flora of the Atlantic Forest Flora of the Cerrado Plants described in 1760 Taxa named by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin