Thread: Libidibia sclerocarpa II, Ebano de Mexico

The genus Libidibia has six species:

1. Libidibia coriaria = (Caesaplinia coriaria) [Venezuela, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba,Trinidad, Tobago, Virgin Islands]
2. Libidibia sclerocarpa = (Caesalpinia sclerocarpa) [Mexico]
3. Libidibia punctata = (Caesalpinia granadillo, Libidibia ebano) [Venezuela, Columbia, Trinidad]
4. Libidibia ferrea = (Caesalpinia ferrea) [Brazil]
5. Libidibia paraguariensis = (Caesalpinia paraguariensis, <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --></style>Caesalpinia melanocarpa, Acacia paraguariensis) [Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay]
6. Libidibia glabrata = (Caesalpinia glabrata, Caesalpinia paipai, Caesalpinia corymbosa) [Ecuador, Peru, Columbia]

It looks like there may be a new addition to the Libidibia genus.From:

Gagnon, E., et al., A molecular phylogeny of Caesalpinia sensu lato: Increased sampling reveals new insights and more
genera than expected, South African Journal of Botany (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2013.07.027

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4.2. Libidibia

As found in other studies (Bruneau et al., 2008; Manzanilla and Bruneau, 2012; Nores et al., 2012), Libidibia forms a robustly supported (BS: 97%, PP: 1.0) monophyletic group, supporting the reinstatement of the genus by Lewis (2005). Species of Libidibia are unarmed trees, with impari-bipinnate leaves, and terminal paniculate or racemose inflorescences, and occur in disjunct areas of seasonally dry tropical forest across the Neotropics, from Mexico and the Antilles to Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina. With the exception of the type species, Libidibia coriaria, all other species of the genus have smooth bark with a patchwork pattern of white, grey and green, described as “leopard-skin bark” (Lewis, 2005). Flowers are typically yellow (the standard petal usually with reddish orange insect guides on the inner surface), with microscopic tentacle-like papillate trichomes on the standard petal surface (Lewis, 2005), while fruits are dark brown to black, tannin-rich, woody and indehiscent. All Libidibia species have a distinctive wood anatomy, well defined by short-storied homocellular rays and axial parenchyma, and lacking prismatic crystals in the ray cells and growth rings (Gasson et al., 2009). A number of species, including Libidibia ferrea, Libidibia punctata and Libidibia coriaria, possess dark punctate glands on the abaxial surface of their leaflets, although
the quantity of these glands is variable (pers. obs.). The type species, L. coriaria, is somewhat atypical for the group as it has rough fissured bark rather than the leopard-skin pattern of all other species, white (not yellow) flowers that lack the papillate trichomes, and tightly curled indehiscent fruits.

While we did not manage to sequence the rps16 locus from Stahlia monosperma due to nucleotide repeats, preliminary phylogenetic analyses based on plastid trnD-trnT sequences (results not shown) suggest that Stahlia is related to the Libidibia clade, as previously suggested (Nores et al., 2012; Simpson et al., 2003). Although Stahlia, a tree endemic to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, appears morphologically uniquewith its pinnate leaves and a bright red, sub-fleshy, oval to orbicular fruit, its floralmorphology, indehiscent fruit, and dark punctuate glands on the abaxial leaflet surfaces show strong similarities to Libidiba. Based on these morphological and genetic affinities,we consider
that Stahlia should be transferred to the genus Libidibia (Fig. 3).

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OK, the genus Stahlia has one species, Stahlia monosperma. For all intents and purposes, it is limited to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. From: ( Flora of the West Indies / Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution ),


Common Names:
Caobanilla (Dominican Republic),
Cóbana (Puerto Rico),
Cóbana negra (Puerto Rico),
Polisandro (Puerto Rico),

Synonyms:
Caesalpinia monosperma Tul.
Stahlia maritima Bello

I've never seen the timber but is it one of the accent woods on the top to this table: ( Another Lignum Vitae project... - International Association of Penturners ). It is probably the near-black timber. The comments that I have been able to find on the timer say that it is very durable and it sinks in water but it is only "resistant" to termites. I doubt this species is as good as L. sclerocarpa.

More interesting info. Runge.

I wonder how much the same species varies in colour and grain pattern from area to area.

Some years ago I met a fellow whose grandparents had gone to Paraguay with William Lane
and several others from Australia to found some sort of Utopian colony there. Amongst this
group was the Australian poet Mary Gilmore, later Dame Mary Gilmore.

The group took Seeds of Australian trees with them, eucalyptus globulous in particular. This felow
told me that the trees grew extremely quickly and had reached a height of about 50 metres with
a basal diametre of at least 2 metres in about 60 years. I've often wondered how the timber would
compare to the timber from trees grown in their native habitat.

Originally Posted by artme

More interesting info. Runge.

I wonder how much the same species varies in colour and grain pattern from area to area.

Some years ago I met a fellow whose grandparents had gone to Paraguay with William Lane
and several others from Australia to found some sort of Utopian colony there. Amongst this
group was the Australian poet Mary Gilmore, later Dame Mary Gilmore.

The group took Seeds of Australian trees with them, eucalyptus globulous in particular. This felow
told me that the trees grew extremely quickly and had reached a height of about 50 metres with
a basal diametre of at least 2 metres in about 60 years. I've often wondered how the timber would
compare to the timber from trees grown in their native habitat.

Hello Artme,

If it wasn't for your responses to my threads, there wouldn't be any. Thanks!

I suspect that when those surfaces get sanded down, the colors of the boards will be quite similar. If they,re not, I'll be bummed.

Well, I can tell you the E. globulus trees in Northern California really like it here.

How'd that Utopian thing turn out?

Are you going back to South America anytime soon? I've got a laundry list of timbers that you could track down when you get bored ...

Hi Runge.

Like all of these schemes it fell apart and some of the original participants returned to Australia,
including Mary Gilmore. Many of those who remained had family ties in Paraguay as their children
married locals.
The fellow I met was tall with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. His name was a mixture of Spanish
and English names. When I asked where he came from ( I had my suspicions ) he said Paraguay.
We got to talking about the colony and he said that I was the first Australian he had ever met who
even knew of its existence!

Look up William Lane, and Dame Mary Gilmore on Google. Makes interesting reading.

Sorry, no trips to South America, probably ever again. My wife has a clotting problem so air travel is
out of the question and ships are too slow and expensive.

I don't even have any contacts over there who are remotely interested in timber gathering, so I can't
be of any assistance at all. Pity, I'd love to help.

Originally Posted by Runge

..If it wasn't for your responses to my threads, there wouldn't be any. Thanks! ...

Sorry Runge, I always read your posts, but have trouble finding the time to reply. Keep them coming though, always interesting, plus I often store the data for future references.

Cheers

Originally Posted by dai sensei

Sorry Runge, I always read your posts, but have trouble finding the time to reply. Keep them coming though, always interesting, plus I often store the data for future references.

Cheers

Thanks, Boss!!

PS - Those links become outdated in a hurry ...

Originally Posted by artme

Hi Runge.

Like all of these schemes it fell apart and some of the original participants returned to Australia,
including Mary Gilmore. Many of those who remained had family ties in Paraguay as their children
married locals.
The fellow I met was tall with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. His name was a mixture of Spanish
and English names. When I asked where he came from ( I had my suspicions ) he said Paraguay.
We got to talking about the colony and he said that I was the first Australian he had ever met who
even knew of its existence!

Look up William Lane, and Dame Mary Gilmore on Google. Makes interesting reading.

Sorry, no trips to South America, probably ever again. My wife has a clotting problem so air travel is
out of the question and ships are too slow and expensive.

I don't even have any contacts over there who are remotely interested in timber gathering, so I can't
be of any assistance at all. Pity, I'd love to help.

She sounds like she is well known in Australia. Still, with all of its callousness and warts, I
prefer capitalism ...

Mary Gilmore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sorry about being held captive to your present continent. Tell me what you want and I'll
drop you a line if ever find it ...