Ziricote

Specs

Common Names

Ziricote

Scientific Name

Cordia dodecandra

Origin

Central America and Mexico

Appearance

Color ranges from medium to dark brown, sometimes with either a green or purple hue, with darker bands of black growth rings intermixed. Ziricote has a very unique appearance, which is sometimes referred to as “spider-webbing” or “landscape” grain figure. Quartersawn surfaces can also have ray flakes similar in appearance to those found on quartersawn Hard Maple. The pale yellowish sapwood is sometimes incorporated into designs for aesthetic effect, or to cut down on wastage. Grain is straight to slightly interlocked. Medium to fine texture, with good natural luster. Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; solitary and radial multiples; large to very large pores in no specific arrangement, few; tyloses occasionally present; parenchyma vasicentric, confluent; wide rays, spacing normal to wide.

Avg. Dried Weight

50 lbs/ft3 (805 kg/m3)

Janka Hardness

1970 lbf

Modulus of Rupture

16,400 lbf/in2 (113.1 MPa)

Elastic Modulus

1,585,000 lbf/in2 (10.93 GPa)

Crushing Strength

9,270 lbf/in2 (63.9 MPa)

Shrinkage

Radial: 3.5%, Tangential: 6.7%, Volumetric: 9.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.9

Durability

Ziricote is reported to be naturally resistant to decay.

Workability

Overall, Ziricote is fairly easy to work considering its high density. The wood tends to develop end and surface checks during drying, which can be problematic: though the wood is stable once dry. Also, pieces are usually available in narrow boards or turning squares, with sapwood being very common. Ziricote turns and finishes well, and in most instances, it can also be glued with no problems. (On rare occasions, the wood’s natural oils can interfere with the gluing process.)