Shipping country
Lignum vitae and Verawood: Differentiation
How to differntiate real Lignum Vitae from Argentine verawood, (Bulnesia arborea, B. sarmientoi):
Lignum Vitae is a wood that is the subject of legends. It is considered the heaviest and hardest wood in the world. Its unique olive-green colour, delicate feathery grain and extreme rot resistance add to its aura. Unfortunately, like many woods, genuine lignum vitae (Guaiacum officinale, G. sanctum) has been so severely deforested that it was listed in Appendix II of the CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in 2003, which means that the wood can only be transported or traded across international borders under strict supervision. Therefore, true pock wood has been replaced by some very closely related species that do not belong to the genus Guaiacum but still belong to the same family Zygophyllaceae.
Argentine lignum vitae (Bulnesia sarmientoi) and verawood (Bulnesia arborea) are two very closely related species of wood that are generally used interchangeably. These two species were traded to meet the demand for genuine pock wood. However, due to the resulting increase in demand, Argentine lignum vitae (Bulnesia sarmientoi) was also listed in CITES Appendix II in 2010, and it may only be a matter of time before all species of pock wood are excluded from international trade. Therefore, there are a number of reasons why a distinction should be made between true pockwood and the Argentine species Verawood.
Lignum Vitae (Guaiacum spp.)
It grows in Mexico and Central America, as well as in the Caribbean. The colour ranges from a light olive green to a darker greenish brown to almost blackish brown. Despite the large differences in colour, both woods have practically the same colour palette and can easily be confused with each other. The average weight is 1,350 kg/m3. Lignum Vitae has a very pleasant, perfume-like scent, but typically this seems to be less strong in genuine Lignum Vitae than in verawood.
Argentine Lignum Vitae, Verawood (Bulnesia spp.)
Verawood grows in tropical South America, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Its colour ranges from a light olive-yellow-green to dull green to a deep brown-green. Despite the large differences in colour, both woods have virtually the same colour range and can easily be confused with each other. The average weight is 1,300 kg/m3. The weights of both species are so close and overlap slightly from tree to tree that weight is not a means of distinguishing these two species. Verawood, Argentine wood has a distinct perfume-like sweet and aromatic heavy fragrance that stays even after processing.
Although the pores in both species are very small and difficult to detect, microscopic examination of the end-grain is one of the easiest and most reliable methods of distinguishing between these two woods.
Two things are striking about pores of true Guaiacum wood: they are almost exclusively solitary, the pores are not grouped together in clusters or pairs, and are arranged in a rather random pattern or, rarely, sometimes slightly diagonally:
With Argentine lignum vitae, however, the pores are often arranged in clusters and radial vertical rows.
This arrangement of pores is a clear indication of Bulnesia spp:
Lignum Vitae is a wood that is the subject of legends. It is considered the heaviest and hardest wood in the world. Its unique olive-green colour, delicate feathery grain and extreme rot resistance add to its aura. Unfortunately, like many woods, genuine lignum vitae (Guaiacum officinale, G. sanctum) has been so severely deforested that it was listed in Appendix II of the CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in 2003, which means that the wood can only be transported or traded across international borders under strict supervision. Therefore, true pock wood has been replaced by some very closely related species that do not belong to the genus Guaiacum but still belong to the same family Zygophyllaceae.
Argentine lignum vitae (Bulnesia sarmientoi) and verawood (Bulnesia arborea) are two very closely related species of wood that are generally used interchangeably. These two species were traded to meet the demand for genuine pock wood. However, due to the resulting increase in demand, Argentine lignum vitae (Bulnesia sarmientoi) was also listed in CITES Appendix II in 2010, and it may only be a matter of time before all species of pock wood are excluded from international trade. Therefore, there are a number of reasons why a distinction should be made between true pockwood and the Argentine species Verawood.
Lignum Vitae (Guaiacum spp.)
It grows in Mexico and Central America, as well as in the Caribbean. The colour ranges from a light olive green to a darker greenish brown to almost blackish brown. Despite the large differences in colour, both woods have practically the same colour palette and can easily be confused with each other. The average weight is 1,350 kg/m3. Lignum Vitae has a very pleasant, perfume-like scent, but typically this seems to be less strong in genuine Lignum Vitae than in verawood.
Argentine Lignum Vitae, Verawood (Bulnesia spp.)
Verawood grows in tropical South America, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Its colour ranges from a light olive-yellow-green to dull green to a deep brown-green. Despite the large differences in colour, both woods have virtually the same colour range and can easily be confused with each other. The average weight is 1,300 kg/m3. The weights of both species are so close and overlap slightly from tree to tree that weight is not a means of distinguishing these two species. Verawood, Argentine wood has a distinct perfume-like sweet and aromatic heavy fragrance that stays even after processing.
Although the pores in both species are very small and difficult to detect, microscopic examination of the end-grain is one of the easiest and most reliable methods of distinguishing between these two woods.
Two things are striking about pores of true Guaiacum wood: they are almost exclusively solitary, the pores are not grouped together in clusters or pairs, and are arranged in a rather random pattern or, rarely, sometimes slightly diagonally:
With Argentine lignum vitae, however, the pores are often arranged in clusters and radial vertical rows.
This arrangement of pores is a clear indication of Bulnesia spp: