Quebracho is a common name in Spanish to describe very hard (density 0.9–1.3) wood tree species. The

etymology Etymology () The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words ...

of the name derived from ''quiebrahacha'', or ''quebrar hacha'', meaning " axe-breaker".

Species

There are at least three similar commercially important tree species that grow in the

Gran Chaco The Gran Chaco or Dry Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Gros ...

region of South America. * the quebracho ** '' Schinopsis lorentzii'' (Syn.: ''Schinopsis marginata'' Engl., ''Schinopsis haenkeana'' Engl.); of the family Anacardiaceae; North Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia; (the red quebracho, quebracho), ''quebracho-colorado santiagueño'', ''red quebracho santiagueño'', ''quebracho santiagueño'' (also known as ''quebracho cor(o)nillo'', ''cor(o)nillo'', ''quebracho macho'', ''quebracho negro'' or ''moro'', ''quebracho rojo'', ''quebracho bolí'', ''horco quebracho'', ''quebracho serrano'', ''quebracho montano'', ''quebracho crespo'', ''quebracho del cerro'', ''quebracho colorado de las sierras'' o ''del cerro'' and ''quebracho cordobés'') ** '' Schinopsis balansae''; of the same family; Northeast Argentina, West-Central Brazil, Paraguay; (the willow-leaf red quebracho, red quebracho) ''quebracho-colorado chaqueño'', ''red quebracho chaqueño'', ''quebracho chaqueño'', ''quebracho vermelho'', ''quebracho vermelho chaqueño'' (also known as ''quebracho hembra or femea'', ''quebracho santafesino'', ''quebracho colorado santafesino'', ''quebracho rubio'') * ''

Schinopsis aff. heterophylla ''Schinopsis heterophylla'', the ''quebracho colorado mestizo'', is a South American tree species in the genus ''Schinopsis''. It is native to the Gran Chaco region of Paraguay and northeastern Argentina Argentina (), officially the Arge ...

'' Ragonese & J.A.Castigl., the ''quebracho mestizo'' or ''quebracho colorado mestizo'', ''horco quebracho''; Northeast Argentina, Paraguay * '' Schinopsis brasiliensis'' Engl., ''brazil red quebracho'', ''quebracho-colorado'', ''quebracho crespo''; Brazil * '' Schinopsis cornuta'' Loes., ''horned red quebracho'', ''quebracho-colorado''; Paraguay, Bolivia * '' Schinopsis peruviana'', ''quebracho-colorado (boliviano)''; Peru * the white quebracho or ''quebracho blanco'', ''quebracho amarillo'', ''

Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco ''Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco'', commonly known as Quebracho blanco, kebrako, or white quebracho, is a South American tree species, native to Brazil, northern Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It must not be confused with other ...

'' of the family Apocynaceae; Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, West-Central Brazil * ''

Aspidosperma triternatum ''Aspidosperma triternatum'' is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is found in Argentina and Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, li ...

'' Rojas Acosta; North Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay; ''quebracho blanco lagunero'', ''quebracho blanco chico'', ''quebrachillo blanco, chico or pardo'' and ''quebracho negro''. * ''

Aspidosperma olivaceum ''Aspidosperma olivaceum'' is a timber tree native to Southeast Brazil. It is common in Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande ...

'' Müll.Arg.; Southeast Brazil; ''quebracho blanco'' * '' Aspidosperma parvifolium'' A.DC.; Venezuela; '' Aspidosperma australe'' Müll.Arg.; (quebracho amarillo) * ''

Aspidosperma tomentosum ''Aspidosperma tomentosum'' is a timber tree native to Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. It is common in of Cerrado vegetation in Brazil. It was first described by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius Carl Friedrich Philipp (Karl Friedrich Philipp ...

'' Mart.; Brazil; ''quebracho'', ''quebracho blanco moroti'' These species provide tannin and a very hard, durable

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including Beam (structure), beams and plank (wood), planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as fini ...

. ''Quebracho'' is sometimes used as a commercial name for the tannin derived from the trees or their timber. A further species, '' Jodina rhombifolia'' (Syn. ''Iodinia rhombifolia'', the ''quebracho flojo'' (the loose, soft quebracho) or ''quebrachillo'', ''quebrachillo flojo'' and ''sombra de toro'', ''sombra de toro macho'', ''quinchilin'', ''quinchirin'', of the family ''Santalaceae'', is also sometimes mentioned. Other species with less economic significance are also locally known as ''quebracho'' or as ''quebrachillo'' or ''quebrachilla'' and could be found in other areas of Latin America : * '' Acanthosyris spinescens'' (Mart. & Eichler) Griseb.; Santalaceae; Northeast Argentina, Uruguay, South Brazil; '' Acanthosyris falcata'' Griseb.; (quebrachill(a)o, quebracho flojo, sombra de toro (hembra)) * ''

Albizia carbonaria ''Albizia'' is a genus of more than 160 species of mostly fast-growing subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae. The genus is pantropical, occurring in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, America and A ...

'' Britton; Fabaceae; El SalvadorWiersema J.H., León B.: ''World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference.'' Second Edition, CRC Press, 2016, , p. 337, 1106 f. * '' Astronium fraxinifolium'' Schott; Anacardiaceae; N. Colombia * '' Athyana weinmannifolia'' (Griseb.) Radlk.; Sapindaceae; (quebrachillo)''Sapindaceae.'' In: ''Flora Argentina.'
online
(PDF). * '' Berberis ruscifolia'' Lam.; '' Berberis spinulosa'' A.St.-Hil.; Berberidaceae; Argentina resp. Brazil (quebrachill(a)o)''American Druggist.'' XV, No. 4, 142, 1886, p. 78 f
online
on babel.hathitrust.org. * '' Cojoba arborea'' (L.) Britton & Rose; Fabaceae; Nicaragua * '' Diatenopteryx sorbifolia'' Radlk.; Sapindaceae; (quebrachillo, quebrachillo blanco) * '' Diphysa americana'' Benth.; Leguminosae; Honduras; (quebracho de cerro)Grandtner M.M.: ''Elsevier's Dictionary of Trees.'' Volume 1: ''North America'', Elsevier, 2005, , p. 315, 495, 619, 676. * '' Handroanthus chrysanthus'' (Jacq.) S.O.Grose; Bignoniaceae; Honduras, Guatemala; '' Handroanthus impetiginosus'' (Mart. ex DC.) Mattos * ''

Krugiodendron ferreum ''Krugiodendron ferreum'', commonly known as the black ironwood or leadwood, is a species of tree in the family Rhamnaceae. It is found in southern Florida, throughout the Caribbean and from southern Mexico to Honduras. Originally described b ...

'' Urban; Rhamnaceae; Cuba, Belize, Honduras; also (quiebraho, quiebrahacha); Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Belize * ''

Leptolobium elegans ''Leptolobium'' is a small Neotropical genus of plants in the family Fabaceae, with ten species currently recognized. With the exception of ''Leptolobium panamense'', which occurs in tropical forests from northwestern South America to Mexico, al ...

'' Vogel; Fabaceae; Paraguay (quebracho negro) * '' Libidibia paraguariensis'' (D.Parodi); Fabaceae; (quebracho negro) * ''

Lonchocarpus michelianus ''Lonchocarpus'' is a plant genus in the legume family (Fabaceae). The species are called lancepods due to their fruit resembling an ornate lance tip or a few beads on a string. ''Cubé'' resin is produced from the roots of '' L. urucu'' and ...

'' Pittier; Leguminosae; Salvador * ''

Lysiloma acapulcense ''Lysiloma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus is native to the Americas, and species range from Arizona and New Mexico through Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica, and in Florida, Cuba, Hispaniola, the Baham ...

'' Benth.; Leguminosae; Honduras * ''

Lysiloma auritum ''Lysiloma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus is native to the Americas, and species range from Arizona and New Mexico through Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica, and in Florida, Cuba, Hispaniola, the Baham ...

'' (Schltdl.) Benth.; Leguminosae; Honduras, Nicaragua (quebracho, quebracho azul) * ''

Lysiloma divaricatum ''Lysiloma divaricatum'' is a flowering tree native to Mexico and Central America. Common names include mauto, quitaz, and tepemesquite in Mexico, quebracho in Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua, and quebracho negro, tepemisque, and yaje in El Salv ...

'' Steud.; Leguminosae; Salvador (quebracho, quebracho azul) * '' Maytenus magellanica'' (Lam.) Hook.f.; (quebracho, quebrachito), ''

Maytenus ilicifolia ''Maytenus'' ''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is a genus of flowering plants in the family Celastraceae. Members of the genus are distributed throughout Central and South America, Southeast Asia, Micronesia and Australasia, the Indi ...

'' (quebrachill(a)o) * '' Pentaclethra macroloba '' (Willd.) Kuntze; Fabaceae; Costa Rica) * ''

Pleuranthodendron lindenii ''Pleuranthodendron'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Salicaceae. It consists of one species (''Pleuranthodendron lindenii'') of small to medium-sized trees native to the neotropics, specifically Central America and northern South ...

'' (Turcz.) Sleumer; Salicaceae; Costa Rica (quebracho blanco) * ''

Piptadenia constricta ''Piptadenia'' is a genus of tropical shrubs and trees of the family Fabaceae. Species *'' Piptadenia adiantoides'' (Sprengel) Macbr. *''Piptadenia affinis'' Burkart *''Piptadenia anolidurus'' Barneby *'' Piptadenia buchananii'' *'' Piptadenia ...

'' MacBride; Leguminosae; Salvador * ''

Poeppigia procera ''Poeppigia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Dialioideae The subfamily Dialioideae is one of the subdivisions of the plant family Fabaceae (legumes). This subfamily includes many tropical tre ...

'' Presl.; Leguminosae; Salvador (quebracho blanco) * ''

Sloanea jamaicensis ''Sloanea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Elaeocarpaceae, comprising about 150 species. Species include: * '' Sloanea acutiflora'' Uittien * '' Sloanea assamica'' Rehder & E. Wilson * ''Sloanea australis'' Benth. & F.Muell., an A ...

'' Hook.; Elaeocarpaceae; Jamaica * ''

Thouinia striata ''Thouinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae. The genus is named for André Thouin, a French botanist.Grossmann J.: ''Gewerbekunde der Holzbearbeitung: Das Holz als Rohstoff.'' Zweite Auflage, Springer, 1922, (Reprint), p. 125. * '' Tipuana tipu'' (Benth.) Kuntze; Fabaceae; (quebracho blanco alto)Stuckert, T.: ''El Quebracho Blanco.'' In: ''Revista de la Universidad Nac. de Córdoba.'' XIII (1–3), 1926, 27–64
online
(PDF; 2,4 MB). * '' Weinmannia organensis'' Gardner; Cunoniaceae; (quebracho crespo) as false quebracho or ''quebracho falso'' * '' Qualea cordata'' Spreng.; Vochysiaceae; Paraguay, BrazilGrandtner M.M., Chevrette J.: ''Dictionary of Trees.'' Volume 2: ''South America'', Academic Press, 2013, , p. 9, 11, 150, 198, 335, 556, 591.

Wood

Quebracho wood from ''Schinopsis spp'' is red-colored and very hard. Other names for the wood are: * Quebracho chaqueño - Argentina * Quebracho - Argentina * Quebracho macho - Argentina * Quebracho moro - Argentina * Quebracho negro - Argentina * Quebracho santiagueño - Argentina * Barauna - Brazil * Brauna - Brazil * Quebracho - Brazil * Quebracho hembra - Brazil * Quebracho cornillo (= ''Schinopsis lorentzii'') - Brazil * Quebracho femea (= ''S. balansae'') - Brazil * Quebracho rubio - Paraguay * Soto negro - Paraguay

Tannins

Quebracho produces

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner ...

s that can be extracted in ''quebracho sawmills'' from the heartwood of both red ('' Schinopsis lorentzii'') and white quebracho (''

''). Logs are inserted into planers to produce chips that are used to produce the quebracho extract by boiling them in vats. It is used for fine leather tanning and imparts a red-brown color. Ordinary or warm soluble quebracho (also known as insoluble Quebracho) is the natural extract obtained directly from the quebracho wood. This type of extract is rich in condensed tannins of natural high molecular weight ( phlobaphenes), which are not easily soluble. Its use is therefore limited to addition of small amounts during the process of tanning leather intended for shoe soles in hot liquids (temperature above 35 °C) to improve the yield and the water-proofness of the leather. The cold soluble extracts are obtained by subjecting the ordinary extract to a sulphiting process which transforms the phlobaphenes into completely soluble tannins.''Improvements in the manufacture and production of readily soluble tanning extracts and agents''. Patent specification. Johnsons & Willcox, 1921. The cold soluble quebracho extracts are the most universally known and used types. The chemical structure of these extracts can be described as polymers of epicatechin. The main properties of these extracts are: a very rapid penetration, a high tannin content and a relatively low percentage of non-tannins. The rather low acid and medium salt content characterise them as mild tanning extracts (low astringency). Quebracho tannins give an important added value to the quality of leathers, such as vacchetta, belts and garments, making them more compact and tear resistant with a pleasant touch. The sulphited quebracho extract may be carcinogenous in mice. Other recent studies show that quebracho tannins present a strong anti-mutagenic activity. The heartwood contains from 20 to 30 percent tannin and 3 or 4 percent water-soluble nontannin. It is said to not ferment. According to King and White (1957), the hydrolysable tannins and gallic acid found in the

sapwood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

constitute the raw material for the biosynthesis of the condensed tannins found in the

heartwood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

Fustin Fustin, sometimes called "dihydrofisetin", is a flavanonol, a type of flavonoid. It can be found in young fustic (''Cotinus coggygria'') and in the lacquer tree (''Toxicodendron vernicifluum''). Fustin shows protective effects on 6-hydroxydopami ...

(predominantly (-)-Fustin 66%), (-)-7:3':4'-trihydroxyflavan-3:4-diol ((-)-

leuco-fisetinidin Leucofisetinidin is a flavan-3,4-diol (leucoanthocyanidin), a type of natural phenolic substance. It is the monomer of condensed tannins called profisetinidins. Those tannins can be extracted from the heartwood of ''Acacia mearnsii'' or from the ...

), (+)-

catechin Catechin is a flavan-3-ol, a type of secondary metabolite providing antioxidant roles in plants. It belongs to the subgroup of polyphenols called flavonoids. The name of the catechin chemical family derives from '' catechu'', which is the ta ...

, gallic acid, fisetin and 2-benzyl-2-hydroxycoumaran-3-ones have been isolated from the heartwoods of '' Schinopsis balansae'', ''Schinopsis quebrachocolorado'' and from commercial quebracho extract. Quebracho tannin is rich in

profisetinidin A profisetinidin is a type of condensed tannins formed from leuco-fisetinidin, the leucoanthocyanidin form of fisetinidin. ''Mimosa'' and quebracho tannins are, according to a comparative 13C NMR study of polyflavonoids, found to be predominantly ...

s and

prorobinetidin Prorobinetidins are a type of condensed tannins formed from robinetinidol. They form robinetinidin when depolymerized under oxidative conditions. ''Mimosa'' and quebracho tannin Quebracho is a common name in Spanish to describe very hard (dens ...

s. The expected masses found in mass spectrometry in negative mode in quebracho tannin are 289, 561, 833, 951, 1105, 1377, 1393, 1651 and 1667. In Quebracho , the sugars and the

lignin Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidity ...

s are thought to be covalently linked to the condensed tannins. Quebracho tannin is also sold as an enological tannin. The quebracho tannins structure is very similar to that of grape tannins, making them a desirable alternative to consider comparatively because they are much less expensive to produce than grape tannins. Myo-inositol and arabitol are detected in tannins from quebracho. Researches are being made to develop an eco-friendly anti- biofouling paint from quebracho tannin. The tannic acid, in the form of alkalized salts, was extensively used as a deflocculant in drilling muds in 1940s-1950s, until it was replaced with lignosulfonates. Its red color gave the mixture the name ''red mud''. Quebracho tannin acts as flocculant agent to remove surfactant as sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate in water treatment. For its polyphenolic structure, quebracho tannin is widely studied for particle boards, plywood and

fiber board Fiberboard (American English) or fibreboard (British English) is a type of engineered wood product that is made out of wood fibers. Types of fiberboard (in order of increasing density) include particle board or low-density fiberboard (LDF), medi ...

gluing. The Argentine companies

Unitán Unitán is an Argentine company producing quebracho tree, quebracho tannins. Its production amounts to 40.000 tonnes of tannins sold to the tanning industry, the drilling industry, for the enological tannin, enological applications and as animal f ...

and

Silvateam Silvateam S.p.A. is a producer of tannins and specialty chemicals mainly for leather industry.''Silvateam: world leather in vegetable extracts''. ShopTalk!, June 2009, pp. 30-33. It was formed in 1854, when Carlo Giuseppe Battaglia built the fi ...

are the main leaders in quebracho tannins production.

Quebracho exploitation

The tanning properties of quebracho extracts were discovered in 1867 by a French tanner, Emilio Poisier, who lived in Argentina. By 1895, the quebracho extracts were exported to Europe and became the principal vegetal tannin source in the world.Quebracho on www.cvtoscana.com (Spanish)
Amongst other activities Ernesto Tornquist (1842–1908) organised the exploitation of quebracho in

Santiago del Estero Santiago del Estero (, Spanish for ''Saint-James-Upon-The-Lagoon'') is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 252,192 inhabitants, () making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a su ...

, in the Chaco region. Originally a dry forest area, the abundance of quebracho attracted timber industries of British capital during the 19th century, leading to extensive

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then land conversion, converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban area, urban ...

. This devastated the ecosystem in a relatively short time. The private owners of the Chaco then turned to cotton production, employing the local Toba people as a cheap seasonal workforce; the conditions did not change substantially for decades. The British-owned Central Argentine Railway reached the city of Santiago del Estero in 1884 and the trees were exported via San Lorenzo port.

Barbeque

The quebracho tree is also used to produce hard wood barbecue charcoal.

References

External links

Pictures on flickr
Image of a truck carrying quebracho tree trunks

Image of a chopped down tree
{{Tannin source Flora of Argentina Plant common names