Paubrasilia

Caesalpinia echinata
An adult specimen in a square in Vitória, Brazil.
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kinrick:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Faimily:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Caesalpinia
Species:	C. echinata
Binomial name
Caesalpinia echinata Lam.
Synonyms
Guilandina echinata (Lam.) Spreng.

Caesalpinia echinata is a species o Brazilian timber tree in the pease faimily, Fabaceae. Common names include Brazilwood, Pau-Brasil, Pau de Pernambuco, Pernambuco tree, Nicaragua firth an Ibirapitanga (Tupi). This plant haes a dense, orange-red heartwood that taks a heich shine, an it is the premier firth uised for makkin bows for stringit graith. The firth yields a red dye cried brazilin an aw, which oxidizes tae brazilein.

Etymologie

When Portuguese splorers foond these trees on the coast o Sooth Americae, they uised the name pau-brasil tae describe thaim. Pau is Portuguese for "stick" (or, by metonymy, "firth" in general), an brasil is said tae hae come frae brasa, Portuguese for "ember", meanin "emberlike". The firth o this tree haes a deep red hue, which mey be why it receivit this name. Pau-brasil haed been earlier uised tae describe a different species of tree foond in Asie an ither places, cried Sappanwood, which producit red dye an aw; but the Sooth American trees suin became the better source o red dye. Brazilwood trees wur such a lairge pairt o the exports an economy o the land that the kintra which sprang up in that pairt o the warld teuk its name frae thaim an is nou cried Brazil.

Botanically, several tree species are involved, aw in the faimily Fabaceae (the pulse faimily). The term "brazilwood" is maist aften uised tae refer tae the species Caesalpinia echinata, but it is aapplee'd tae ither species an aw, such as Caesalpinia sappan. The tree is kent bi ither names, as ibirapitanga, Tupi for "red firth"; or pau de pernambuco an aw, namit efter the Brazilian state o Pernambuco.

In the bow-makkin business it is uisual tae refer tae some species ither than Caesalpinia echinata as "Brazilwood"; examples include Pink Ipê (Tabebuia impetiginosa), Massaranduba (Manilkara bidentata) an Palo Brasil (Haematoxylum brasiletto). The heichlie prizit Caesalpinia echinata is uisually cried "Pernambuco firth" in this pairticular context.

References

This airticle incorporates text frae the ARKive fact-file "Paubrasilia" unner the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License an the GFDL.

Freemit airtins

Wiktionar

Rake fer Paubrasilia i the
Scots Wiktionar, the free Scots dictionar.

• pau-brasil/caesalpinia-echinata Paubrasilia media at ARKive