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Lignum vitae is hard and durable, and is also the densest wood traded (average dried density: ~79 lb/ft 3 or ~1,260 kg/m 3); [4] it will easily sink in water. On the Janka scale of hardness, which measures hardness of woods, lignum vitae ranks highest of the trade woods, with a Janka hardness of 4,390 lbf (compared with Olneya at 3,260 lbf, [5] African blackwood at 2,940 lbf, hickory at 1,820 ...
Guaiacum sanctum, commonly known as holywood, lignum vitae [4] or holywood lignum-vitae, is a species of flowering plant in the creosote bush family, Zygophyllaceae. It is native to the Neotropical realm , from Mexico through Central America , Florida in the United States , the Caribbean , and northern South America . [ 5 ]
The invention of the use of Guaiacum for syphilis. The genus is famous as the supplier of lignum vitae, which is the wood of several species in the genus. [citation needed] It is the fourth-hardest variety of wood as measured by the Janka hardness test, requiring a force of 4,500 lb f (20,000 N) to embed a steel ball 0.444 in (1.13 cm) in diameter half that distance into the wood.
Common names include Texas guaiacum, Texas lignum-vitae, soapbush and huayacán. It is native to southern and western Texas [ 4 ] in the United States and northern Mexico . [ 3 ] The specific name is derived from the Latin angustus , meaning "narrow," and -folius , meaning "-leaved".
Guaiacum officinale is one of two species yielding the true lignum vitae, the other being Guaiacum sanctum.Guaiac, a natural resin extracted from the wood, is a colorless compound that turns blue when placed in contact with substances that have peroxidase activity and then are exposed to hydrogen peroxide.
The wood of some – particularly B. arborea and B. sarmientoi – is traded as verawood (colloquially "vera") or "lignum vitae". They are close relatives of the "true" lignum vitae trees of genus Guaiacum.
Sophora howinsula, commonly known as lignum vitae or Lord Howe kowhai, is a flowering plant in the legume family. The specific epithet refers to the island to which the species is endemic. [ 1 ]
Its wood is often traded as "Paraguay lignum vitae", since it has properties and uses similar to the "true" lignum vitae trees of genus Guaiacum, which are close relatives. Another trade name is "vera" or "verawood", which may also refer to the even more closely related B. arborea.