Amendoim Wood (Pterogyne nitens): Uses, Properties, Pros, and Cons

In northeastern Brazil, Amendoim Wood is a fast-growing species that is not very well known. Pterogyne Nitens is a plant that grows in subtropical and tropical areas, between about 80 meters and 1,400 meters above sea level.

It grows in the Caatinga biome, which is hard for trees to grow in because the soil is not very fertile and there isn’t much water.

Best when grown in a sunny spot. Does well in many kinds of soil. Young plants usually get off to a good start and grow quickly, reaching a height of 4 meters in just two years.

Amendoim wood is known for its unique grain, which seems to move in different directions depending on how the light hits it.

Over time, Amendoim wood will get a little darker. It is a very hard wood that works well in any room. It has small knots, so it is also used to make furniture and interiors that look from the past. A great wood that lasts a very long time.

Amendoim wood comes from deciduous trees with a round, open crown that can grow up to 30 meters tall. Most of the time, the bole is between 40 and 60 cm in diameter, but sometimes it can be up to 120 cm.

Amendoim is sold under other names

Different names know Amendoim wood in different places, but when it’s sold, it’s just called “Amendoim.” In Brazil, it is called Amendoim; in Paraguay, Ybyraro, and Bolivia, Ajunao.

Amendoim is also called “Brazilian Oak” in the United States, which can be confusing. The way they look is different.

Other Names: Pterogyne Nitens, Guiaro, Ajunao, Ibiraro, Viraro, Pau Fava.

Aesthetics

Amendoim has a smooth, wavy grain in natural colors that range from light blonde to beige and rose Carmel.

Pin and cat’s-paw knots give this light, rustic, and better wood a unique look. This wood is hard and stable and is an excellent choice for anyone looking for natural wood with a lighter color to add to their home.

Availability        

In the U.S., it’s almost impossible to find Amendoim lumber, so flooring lengths are limited to those of pre-milled products.

Pricing

Amendoim is sometimes sold as lumber, but most of the time, it is sold as flooring planks. Prices for South American species brought in from other places should be in the middle.

Also, raw lumber is pretty pricey because it is taxed more than finished products in South America to help support local economies.

Geography

In northeastern Brazil, the species of Amendoim wood is called Amendoim-bravo or Madeira nova. It is thought to grow quickly in the Caatinga.

Amendoim is found throughout South America, including parts of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil.

Maintenance    

Amendoim wood flooring adds a special touch of elegance to any room because it has a light color that isn’t common in most exotic woods.

Amendoim can get a deeper red color over time because its finish is made of oil.

Lacquer can be used first to help keep the wood’s unique red color and to speed up the drying process.

Water-based finishes will keep the natural color for longer.

Sustainability   

The species is threatened by several things: its habitat is not protected and is shrinking because of logging and the spread of agriculture and pastoralism; it is sought after as a source of wood; and in Bolivia, it is one of several species that live in the semi-deciduous forest in eastern Santa Cruz that are being logged more.

Is Amendoim hard or softwood?

Wood type: hardwood.

Amendoim is also one of the world’s hardest types of wood. When you add an aluminum oxide finish that protects the surface from wear and makes it scratch-resistant, you have one of the best exotic hardwoods that are easy to care for.

Amendoim is more stable than most hardwoods and doesn’t rot if it isn’t treated with chemicals. It is also very strong when bent, which makes it a good choice for places where the boards will be put under much stress.

Amendoim is hard is another reason why people choose it for their floors.

The Janka Hardness Scale gave it 1912, which means it is harder than maple and red oak.

Amendoim wood stain 

The wood can take on a blue color. Blue stain can attack it when the air is humid. The wood is natural and hasn’t been stained, so they are almost mess-free and easy to put up.

Wood identification

Wood seems like a good, cheap, and easy way to get energy, but if it’s taken out of the ground uncontrolled, it can cause environmental problems like deforestation.

The yellowish-brown sapwood isn’t separated from the reddish-brown heartwood, which looks like mahogany and often has darker stripes.

The luster is medium to high, the texture is medium, the grain is often ropey, and it doesn’t have a smell or taste that stands out.

Color and appearance

Occasionally, darker streaks will cut through heartwood’s lighter brown or reddish brown color.

With time, the color tends to get darker. It’s not always easy to tell sapwood, pale yellowish brown, from heartwood.

Overall, it looks very much like mahogany.

Endgrain

Diffuse-porous, with medium pores that aren’t arranged in a certain way. Heartwood that is amber, reddish brown, or black. Amendoim wood structure comprises confluent axial parenchyma, diffuse porosity, tylosis, and heterogeneous.

The fibers were short (0.81 mm in length), not flexible, and had a Runkel index of 0.82. There were only 32.9 pores per mm2 of skin, and many of the pores were blocked by a condition called tylosis.

Flower

The inflorescence is an axillary panicle composed of three racemes of tiny flowers.

The peduncles of the inflorescence are yellow and hairy; they are brown at the base and white at the top, and there is a bract that falls off at the insertion of each pedicel.

Fruit

Fruit is an achene winged with a pedicel on this thick seminiferous; the wing is connected to the pericarp by an oblique slit.

Some ribs stick out from the rear of the seed, and the wing itself has wings that are curled.

Grain and texture

Straight to interlocked grain, medium texture, and a high natural shine characterize this wood’s appearance.

Leaves

The leaves are alternate, pinnate, and have 6 pairs of opposite folioles. The upper part of the petiole is sulcate, and the base has a strong pulvinus.

The folioles have short petioles, are oblong, smooth, shiny on top and opaque on the bottom, and have ribs and veins that stick out.

Odor

No characteristic odor.

Tree

Reaches a maximum height of over 100 feet, but most don’t grow taller than 75 feet. It has a well-formed trunk that is 2 to 3 feet in diameter and, in rare cases, 4 feet in diameter.

Pterogyne Nitens is a tree that loses its leaves every year. It has an open, rounded crown and grows 10–25 meters tall, sometimes even 30 meters. Most of the time, the bole is between 40 and 60 cm in diameter, but sometimes it can be up to 120 cm.

The tree’s wood is valuable, and it is cut down in the wild and sold all over the world. It can be used to plant new trees and is also sometimes grown as a decorative plant.

Amendoim wood bark

The bark on the wood is very thin, and it is easy to tell the difference between the outside bark and the inside bark.

The bark percentage compared to the tree’s diameter ranged from 5.1 (at the base) to 3.0% (at the top), making this a species with low bark content.

For industrial use, it is also important that the bark is the same thickness all along the tree.

Amendoim Wood Pros and cons         

The Pros and Cons of Amendoim Wood give an in-depth look at the different parts of the wood. We talk about every aspect of every kind of wood, so you can get the most out of any wood you choose.

Rot resistance

Rated as having a moderate resistance to decay. Moderately resistant to rotting, it shouldn’t be in contact with moist soil for long periods.

It doesn’t rot and can be used outside for a long time. It is also not easily damaged by insects.

Strength and Durability 

Amendoim is strong and doesn’t get dents or wear from traffic very easily. It is denser and more stable than North American Red Oak, which makes it stronger.

The wood is heavy, tough, strong, and hard, but it doesn’t last very long, especially if it gets wet. People say this species is hardy, especially when it doesn’t touch the ground.

Amendoim is a hundred times harder than American Walnut, fifty percent harder than Red Oak, forty percent harder than White Oak, and thirty percent harder than hard maple.

Allergies and toxicity

Aside from the usual health risks of wood dust, Amendoim hasn’t been linked to other health problems.

Water resistance

There is no information about how wood is dry or when it should be put in the kiln.

3.4% in the radial direction, 6% in the tangential direction, and 10% in the volumetric direction. It was said to stay in place long after it was made. 50 pcf when air-dried.

Water extract is not fluorescent; it ranges in color from clear to brown. You can’t get heartwood extracts out of water.

Workability

Overall, it’s easy to work with both hand and machine tools, but tear-out can happen when the grain is interlocked, especially when laminating or doing other machining tasks.

Amendoim is hard, but it is not too hard to work with hand or power tools.

Because it has much natural silica, amendoim wood makes tools less sharp. It is easy to turn, glue, and finish. Steam-bending works well on it. It was easy to work with, and the end was smooth.

It is not too hard to cut by hand, has a medium texture, and can see the veins with the naked eye.

Amendoim wood uses

It is a very versatile material with excellent natural characteristics that make it suitable for different applications, including Cabinetry, flooring, furniture, the finishing of the inside of structures, wheelwright work, cooperage, railway ties, and other uses are all possible with this wood.

Amendoim wood for flooring

Amendoim is available both finished and unfinished for nail-down installations on a wood subfloor and engineered with a veneer top layer for installations on concrete.

Amendoim flooring is strong and doesn’t dent or wear down easily from foot traffic.

The best way to install Amendoim flooring is with a manual nailer, but staples and air-powered nailers can also be used.

Because of how hard it is, it can be hard to sand with flooring equipment.

Amendoim flooring is used in high-end and middle-range homes and businesses to make a dramatic, elegant floor.

Because it has the same color and grain as Red Birch, Amendoim is also used as a durable alternative to Red Birch. Because Amendoim wood is hard to get, Red Birch is often used for trim.

Amendoim is another reason people choose it for their floors, and it is harder than maple and red oak.

Amendoim wood for firewood

Based on anatomical and other technological studies, Amendoim wood is best for making charcoal.

After being carbonized at 450°C for 4 hours, Amendoim wood had a calorific value of 7967 kcal/kg and an apparent density of 402 kg/m3.

This was a good result in figuring out how much energy it had.

Amendoim wood Furniture and Cabinetry

Many furniture makers use Amendoim wood for furniture making. This hardwood has many characteristics which are perfect for furniture.

It is resistant to fire and decay. The wood’s color is rich and does not require painting. Amendoim wood is one of the best woods that can be used in the manufacture of furniture.

It has many benefits that will enhance the beauty of any piece of furniture that you buy.

Interior trim

Amendoim wood is a type of wood commonly used in making interior trim. It has a soft grain structure, making panels and a door frame. Some of the best things about Amendoim Wood are that it is durable, easy to work with, and versatile.

Turned objects

What makes Amendoim wood so unique? There are many reasons, but the main reason is that it is one of the best choices for turning objects.

Amendoim wood is not only known for its beautiful, natural tones but also its durability. If you want to create something unique and artistic, why not turn a piece of wood into a bowl or vase?

Amendoim wood Related species

This blog shares information related to the Amendoim wood species, as well as information about its uses in building, interior decorating, and furniture making.

Brazilian Oak (Couratari Tauari)

Brazilian Oak trees can grow up to 20 m tall. The trunk is not buttressed, and the young branches are hairy but soon lose their hair. The leaf blades are ovate to oblong-ovate and 8–15 x 3.5–8 cm. They are coriaceous and have sparse stellate hairs on the underside.

The flowers are in racemes up to 5 cm long, and the stems are covered with dark brown hairs. Couratari Tauri is only known from a few collections that are far apart from each other. Thanks to recent collections, a more accurate description of this species are now possible.

Natives roll up the inner bark and use it as a cigar. Greenwood has a strong smell that goes away quickly when it dries out.

Shining Gum/Silver Top (Eucalyptus nitens)

Eucalyptus nitens is a hardwood species that can survive in cold climates. In Canterbury and other cooler parts of New Zealand, E. nitens grows quickly and makes much sawlog-sized wood in a short amount of time.

Some farm foresters have even cut back their trees in preparation for making sawn wood. Logs gross about $50 per tonne when they are delivered.

After harvesting and shipping costs are taken out, the grower makes between $0 and $20 per year.