Costa Rican Exotic Woods

IMPORTANT NOTE:  NONE OF THE EXOTIC WOOD PRODUCTS WE OFFER ON OUR SITE HAVE BEEN EXPLOITED IN ANY WAY. ALL WOOD USED ARE HARVESTED THROUGH PROPER PERMIT CHANNELS AND ADHEAR TO THE STRICT GUIDELINES OF THE COSTA RICAN GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL TROPICAL RAINFOREST CONSERVATION GROUPS.

All of our beautiful wood products in our collection are made with the finest and most precious woods native to Costa Rica located in Central America. Each wood possess quality characteristics with properties that makes each unique. Below are descriptions of some of our most common woods found in our Exotic Wood Collection.

MULTICOLOR MULTI-WOOD PRODUCT NOTE
MULTICOLOR #4 Consists of a combination of multiple types of woods. Typically the multicolor mix of exotic woods consists of Cocobolo, Purple Heart, Fustic and Cortez types but can vary with a mixture of other wood combinations.

COCOBOLO (Rosewood) (botanical name Dalbergia Retusa)

#1 Cocobolo (Rosewood) - Cocobolo is adored by the Costa Rican people because it is one of the true tropical rosewoods in the natural rainforests. Considered the most beautiful of all the world’s Rosewoods. It is the heaviest and darkest member of the rosewood family typically reaching 45 to 60 feet in height. It is found predominately found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. Popular with craftsmen and used for cutlery handles, gift items and musical instruments, this wood comes off the milling blades in reds, yellows, oranges, and purple hues with dark streaks of wood grain.  Often worked with its light cream-colored sapwood to create a stunning contrast.

Cocobolo has a fine texture with straight to interlocked grain and possess a deep richness of color and long lasting durability. Colors and markings range anywhere from reddish-orange to a deep rich burgundy red or rose all the way to dark brown or black. The wood is characteristically marked with numerous beautiful, irregular, concentric markings of deep or black purple with black striping or mottling and yellow to gold markings. Most desirable in a piece of cocobolo is a light brown to orange background with distinct black streaks throughout. The amount of figure and contrasting color varies widely from tree to tree.  It is a strong, hard and fairly heavy wood with natural oils that give the wood a rich satin luster without stain. The natural oils tend to waterproof the wood and make it resistant to the influence of moisture, even when left in contact with water for long periods of time. Cocobolo is twice the weight of walnut, and is so dense it will not float! Cocobolo is reported to be very durable and is highly resistant to marine borer attack. Prolonged or repeated immersion in soapy water is reported have very little adverse effect on the wood except to darken its color. Natural oils in the wood tend to promote waterproofing. They also impart a waxy appearance to the wood when it is rubbed with a cloth.

IRON WOOD (botanical name Guaiacum Sanctum)

#2 Guayacan Real (Iron Wood) - Known as the hardest wood in the world, this unique self-lubricating wood has its most important and exacting use in the manufacturing of brushing blocks lining the stern lubes of propeller shafts of steamships and submarines. Heartwood is distinctly green or olive green and becomes very dark or even black under long exposure.

PURPLE HEART (botanical name Amaranth Peltogyne Spp.)

#3 Nazareno (Purple Heart) - Purple Heart is an exotic and imported hardwood that is a resilient and strong with high average density, and has a uniform fine-to-medium texture.  The grain is usually straight, but can be irregular.  The wood is purple which darkens in time through oxidation. Used in the form of sliced veneer to decorative inlay work and in solid form for specialty items of turnery.

Purple Heart has a creamy white/gray sapwood but like its name suggests, the heartwood is a bright, striking purple when freshly cut, darkening into a deeper purple with age. It has a medium to fine texture with a luster that ranges from medium to high; its grain is usually straight but can be wavy or irregular. Purple Heart has high bending and crushing strength and stiffness with medium resistance to shock loads.

FUSTIC (botanical name Chlorophora Tinctoria)

#5 Mora (Fustic) – An exotic hardwood of a consistent yellow, lightly-grained color used for accenting of the “flashier” woods.

TEMPISQUE (botanical name Mastichodendron Capiri)

#6 Tempisque (Tempisque) - Very white tight grained wood rarely used commercially.

CRISTOBAL (botanical name Platymiscium Pleiostachyum)

#7 Cristobal (Cristobal) - Medium sized tree or larger. It is known only in Costa Rica. Its wood is used for furniture and is always in great demand. The slab of our musical instruments “la marimba” (xylophone) is made of cristobal. It was once used to make ox-cart wheels because of the sound produced by its resonance. It grows in lowlands in humid regions.

CORTEX (botanical name Tabebuia Chrysantha)

#8 Corteza (Cortex) - Greenish very wood often called Bastard Lignum Vitea which produces a yellow powder when sanded. Carvers Mallet, railroad tyes and heavy construction along with turnery are some of its many uses.

RUM-RUM (botanical name Astronium Graveolens)

#9 Ron Ron (Rum Rum) -  Medium sized tree found in the low and midlands with humid and arid weather.  Its wood is known for its dark streaks and is one of the precious woods.  It is used in floors because of its durability.  Its impressive streaks stand out noticeably when polished.

GUAPINOL (botanical name Hymenea Courabil)

#10 Guapinol (Guapinol) - Used for furniture, cabinets, tool handles and fine turnery. This wood has an often thick white to gray sapwood and red to orange and brown heartwoods that streaks and darkens after exposure.

MONKEY WOOD (botanical name Myroxylon Balsamun)

#11 Balsamo (Monkey Wood) - Wild monkeys are often found in this stately and large tree.  Used especially for fine gift and jewelry boxes and turned specialty items.  This wood often has a distinct swirling wood grain from red and orange through brown-black and light eggshell colors.  Magnificent “splotchy” grain patterns are often found that create exceptional sculptures.

CENIZARO (botanical name Pithecololobium Saman

#12 Cenizaro (Cenizaro)

MEDLAR (botanical name Huminastrum Diguense)

#13 Nispero (Medlar)