Muskwood, Carrapeta, Cedro Macho
Guarea guidonia

Family: Meliaceae

What it is like

Muskwood or Guarea guidonia is an evergreen tree growing up to 23 m in height with trunk diameter of up to 90 cm. It has a straight bole and a large, dense, roundish crown. The leaves are compound. The fruit is a capsule. The seeds are covered with an orange red pulp. Muskwood can be found in South America. It is harvested from the wild for medicinal purposes and timber. Conditions like angina, asthma, dyspnoea, vomiting, infant?s thrush, and body aches can be treated using different plant parts and forms of Muskwood. It also provides shade in coffee plantations. Reddish Sandal oil is obtained from the wood. The wood is ideal for furniture, cabinets, construction, window frames, carpentry, etc.

Guarea guidonia is an evergreen Tree growing to 15 m (49ft) by 12 m (39ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. It is noted for attracting wildlife. 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 can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 15

Where it is found

Lowland forests in Panama. Often found in gallery forests, on alluvial plains and in valleys, it is found in both dense primary forests and, more commonly, in secondary formations.

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; C. America - Panama, Costa Rica; Caribbean.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Nicaragua; Costa Rica; Panama; Cuba; Haiti; Dominican Republic; Puerto Rico; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Colombia; Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of; Guyana; Suriname; French Guiana; Brazil; Ecuador; Peru; Bolivia, Plurinational State of; Paraguay, Central America, North America, USA,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 2

A decoction of the whole, crushed plant is drunk as a treatment for angina, asthma and dyspnoea. The resin obtained from the leaves and the stem, as well as the pulverised bark, is used locally as styptic. The stem bark is emetic (in larger doses), expectorant, haemostatic and purgative. A decoction is used to induce vomiting and to treat infant's thrush. Applied externally, the powdered bark is used as a haemostatic to stem bleeding. The liquid obtained from the rasped bark is rubbed onto skin in order to relieve body aches. The boiled leaves are used as an emetic. The bark contains the alkaloid rusbyine. A juice obtained from the roots and stems is abortifacient, emmenagogue, purgative and violently emetic. The juice is a corrosive poison which can be counteracted by an infusion of buds of Jatropha curcas. Extracts of the bark and wood contain beta-sitosterol. The seed contains angustinolide, a tetranotriterpenoid.

Abortifacient: Causes an abortion.

Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.

Cardiac: Used in the treatment of heart problems.

Emetic: Induces vomiting.

Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.

Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.

Haemostatic: Controls internal bleeding.

Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.

Styptic: An astringent that stops bleeding by contracting the blood vessels.

Other

Rating: 4

Agroforestry Uses: The tree is cultivated in an agroforestry system on Haiti together with coffee, bananas and other species. In Puerto Rico it is considered to give too dense a shade for growing with coffee. Other Uses: A reddish Sandal oil is obtained from the wood. (refers to G. trichilioides, a synonym of this species.) The very attractive heartwood is pinkish to red, turning light reddiish brown; the sapwood is whitish to brownish. The texture is medium, grain is straight; aromatic when green though odourless when seasoned. The wood is of medium weight to moderately heavy; hard; strong; tough; elastic to somewhat brittle; and very durable, even when in wet ground, with resistance to attack by dry-wood termites. Rate of air-seasoning is slow, and amount of degrade is moderate. Machining characteristics are as follows: planing, shaping, turning, mortising, and resistance to screw splitting are good; boring is fair; and sanding is excellent. This pretty wood makes fine furniture and cabinets, since it resembles mahogany and Spanish-cedar and takes a high polish. It is used also for construction, internal works, window frames, carpentry, implements, cooperage etc. The wood is a favoured fuel because it splits easily.

Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

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

Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife

How it is grown

Prefers a sunny position. Newly planted young trees are fairly slow-growing. Plants can flower and produce fruit for most of the year. Flowering Time: Late Winter/Early Spring Mid Spring Late Spring/Early Summer Mid Summer Late Summer/Early Fall. Bloom Color: White/Near White. This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds.

Propagating it: Seed - it has a short viability and should not be allowed to dry out, nor should the aril surrounding the seed be removed. Sow the seed as soon as it is harvested in a lightly shaded position, either in a nursery seedbed or in individual containers. Germination rates are usually low, with the seed sprouting within 30 - 50 days.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Slow

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

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

The juice of the plant is a corrosive poison which can be counteracted by an infusion of the buds of Jatropha curcas. The leaves are considered to be toxic to cattle.

Its other names

Local names

Muskwood, Carrapeta, Cedro Macho, ball-wood, bois balé, cocillana, cocillana tree, cocillana tree#, guaraguao, guarea, guarea trichilioides, huapi bark, jitó, macaqueiro, muskwood, pamasuki, red-wood, requia.

Synonyms

Guarea alba C.DC. Guarea alternans C.DC. Guarea andreana C.DC. Guarea aubletii A.Juss. Guarea bilibi