Greenheart, Demerara Greenheart
Chlorocardium rodiei

Family: Lauraceae

What it is like

Greenheart or Chlorocardium rodiei is a flowering, evergreen tree native to South America that grows about 30 m in height with a trunk diameter of up to 60 cm. The crown is small and heavy, sometimes irregularly open or conical or oval. The leaves have smooth edges and are arranged alternately. The fruit is a drupe with a single seed. It is used medicinally as remedy for fever and diarrhoea. The wood of greenheart is very hard and strong. Due to its durability in water, it was first used for fly fishing rods. Further, it is resistant to termites and marine-borers. It is also used in heavy construction, marine and ship construction, walking sticks, billiard cue balls, engine bearers, planking, etc. Common names include cogwood, demerara greenheart, ispingo moena, sipiri, bebeeru and bibiru.

Chlorocardium rodiei is an evergreen Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 30

Where it is found

A dominant component of a restricted belt of lowland rainforest on brown sand and is also found occasionally in other forest types. Found mostly on slopes leading down to streams and in damp sites near streams.

S. America - French Guiana, Surinam, Guyana.

Conservation Status: Status: Data Deficient. There is some uncertainty regarding the conservation status of this species. It was classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List in 1998, but this was altered to Data Deficient in 2006.

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 2

The bark and crushed wood are bitter, febrifuge and tonic. A decoction is used to treat fevers and diarrhoea. The decoction is yellow, nauseatingly bitter and has a sickly odour. The fruit is sometimes used instead of the bark or wood. A decoction of the seeds is used to treat diarrhoea. The stem-bark contains the alkaloid berberine, which is identical to buxine and pelosine, and also the alkaloid nectandrine. The seeds contain berberic acid.

Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.

Bitter: Increases the appetite and stimulates digestion by acting on the mucous membranes of the mouth. Also increases the flow of bile, stimulates repair of the gut wall lining and regulates the secretion of insulin and glucogen.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating: 5

Other uses rating: Very High (5/5). The tree is highly valued commercially, yielding an excellent timber with many uses, but especially valued for its resistance to decay in saltwater and in the ground. It is commonly harvested from the wild for local use and for export. The heartwood varies from light to dark olive green or blackish, often with intermingling of lighter and darker areas; it is not sharply defined from the 3 - 8cm thick, pale yellow or greenish sapwood. The wood is straight-grained to roey; fine in texture; uniform; lustrous; cold to the touch; freshly cut wood is strongly aromatic but becomes odourless and tasteless when dry. The wood is exceedingly heavy (sinking in water); very strong; exceptionally hard; very elastic; tough; dense; very durable and resistant to termites and marine borers. The Fram and the Endurance, made famous in the polar expeditions of Amundsen and Shackleton, were the two strongest wooden ships ever constructed and were sheathed in greenheart to prevent them from being crushed by ice. The wood is flexible in narrow strips and has a high coefficient of friction that gives it a nonslip tractive property when wet or even when coated with a film of oil or grease. It is easy to split and polish. The wood is moderately difficult to work with either hand or machine tools because of its exceedingly high density and hardness. It dulls cutting edges rather quickly but finishes to a fine smooth lustrous surface. If cutting edges become dull, there is a tendency for surfaces to become slightly roughened. Because of the low cleavage resistance of the wood, cross-grained or end-grain material must be machined carefully to avoid the breaking-off of chips and splinters at the exit of the tool. The timber turns easily and takes a high finish with wax, oil, or French polish without the need of a filler. Gluing gives fairly good results. It is a moderately good bending wood but does not take nails well, requiring pre bored holes to avoid splitting and nail bending. The most important use is in marine and ship construction, being used for revetments, docks, locks, fenders, braces, decking, groins, gates, piers, piling, jetties, and wharves; and in ship construction, for keelsons, beams, engine bearers, planking, gangways, fenders, stern posts, and sheathing for whaling ships. It is also used for heavy construction, walking sticks, billiard cue butts, belaying pins, mortars etc. Many of the standing mature trees are defective. There is more defectiveness on rocky sites where the tree is not as well adapted as on the moist sites. On the average, 80 - 85% of all trees have some defect, particularly in the butt portion.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

How it is grown

A tree of lowland moist tropical areas, usually found at elevations below 200 metres. Grows best in light, sandy soils.

Propagating it: Plants are grown from seed.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Greenheart or Chlorocardium rodiei. Common names include cogwood, demerara greenheart, ispingo moena, sipiri, bebeeru and bibiru.

Synonyms

Nectandra rodioei R.H.Schomb. Ocotea rodiei (R.H.Schomb.) Mez