Marupa
Aceituno / Simarouba glauca
Local Names
Cedro Blanco, Simaruba, Soemaroeba, Caixeta, Acajou Blanc, Paraiba, Bitterwood, Cuna, Simarupa
Distribution & Tree
Known alternatively as simarouba, paradise-tree and bitterwood in English, marupa’s ranges extends from Mexico through Central America across much of tropical South America as well as Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, southern Florida, and elsewhere in the Caribbean. It grows well along rivers and streams in well-drained sandy soils, particularly in humid premontane areas transitioning to humid lowlands where its shallow root system is suitable. As an understory species, it tolerates shade. With a cylindrical truck and small, bluish-green crown, marupa reaches an average total height of 39 m with diameters of 70 cm. Its edible but somewhat bland fruit resembles an olive when mature, inspiring its local name.
Wood Appearance
Heartwood is creamy yellow to whitish with a sandy and uniform texture and a straight grain and occasionally figured with narrow vessel lines. Occasionally it has oily streaks. Luster is rather high. The wood has a bitter, quinine-like taste. It’s said to be a substitute for yellow poplar similar in color, strength, hardness and compression properties.
Processing Properties
Marupa is very workable and stable with properties similar to mahogany (in Venezuela it’s known as white cedar). It planes and sands very well, achieving smooth, clean surfaces. It molds and turns well. It paints and varnishes well. Peels, slices and glues well. May split when screwing. Filling is recommended to obtain a good finish. Working properties have been compared to white pine, black gum and basswood.
Strength & Durability
Not durable to termites, dry-wood borers or white rot (highly resistant to brown rot). The wood is easily permeable and amenable to treatment.
Wood Uses
Veneer for plywood, furniture, sounding board for stringed instruments (including guitar tops), piano keys, interior paneling, blockboard, sliced veneer, moulding, turnery, interior joinery and cabinetry. Doors, windows and frames. Shoe platforms/heels, toys and boxes.
Ecological & Social Importance
Its bitter properties are used for a variety of home remedies, including malaria. It’s used as an insecticide to control flies and fleas. Its fatty fruit is an important food for forest animals (in Guatemala the species is sometimes referred to as “jocote de mico”—monkey fruit). The seed’s fat is used for soap manufacture in India, where plantations have been established for its commercial production. The press cake resulting from the milling operation is used as an organic fertilizer and has given good results on coffee, sugarcane, cotton and maize.
| Reference Species | ||||
| Technical Characteristics | Marupa | American Elm | Loblolly Pine | |
| Density | kg/m3 | 420 | 560 | 570 |
| Janka Hardness | kgf | 351 | 376 | 313 |
| Bending Stiffness (Modulus of Elasticity) | GPa | 8.4 | 9.2 | 12.3 |
| Bending Strength (Modulus of Rupture) | MPa | 77.3 | 81.4 | 88.3 |
| Crushing Strength | MPa | 35.9 | 38.1 | 49.2 |
| Shrinkage, Radial | % | 3.1% | 4.2% | 4.8% |
| Shrinkage, Tangential | % | 7.1% | 9.5% | 7.4% |
| Shrinkage, Volumetric | % | 9.4% | 14.6% | 12.3% |
| T/R Ratio | 2.3 | 2.3 | 1.5 | |
| Values determined at 12% humidity - Provided for reference only | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
DENSITY
JANKA HARDNESS
BENDING STIFFNESS
BENDING STRENGTH
CRUSHING STRENGTH
SHRINKAGE
Values are for reference only and cannot be guaranteed. Wood is a natural material and physical and mechanical properties may vary depending on age, genetics, and other factors. We encourage customers to consult the references provided in the bibliography. For further explanations of wood’s key technical characteristics, an excellent resource is the Wood Database with articles on Density (average dried weight); Janka hardness; Elastic Modulus; Rupture Modulus; Crushing Strength; Radial, Tangential and Volumetric Shrinkage.
| References | View Source |
| "Fruit Trees and Useful Plants in Amazonian Life." Non-Wood Forest Products 20. Shanley, P et al (Eds). FAO/CIFRPPI. |  |
| "Guía de Procesamiento Forestal: Fabricación de Muebles con Maderas Poco Conocidas - LKS." WWF. | |
| "GUIDE TO LESSER KNOWN TROPICAL TIMBER SPECIES." WWF/GFTN. | |
| "Maderas de Colombia." GFTN. WWF | |
| "Maderas del Peru", Promdex/WWF/USAID/INIA | |
| “Marupa Simarouba amara: Fabricación de muebles con maderas poco conocidas – LKS.” Guía de Procesamiento Industrial. WWF/USAID. | |
| “Propiedades anatómicas, físicas y mecánicas de 93 especies forestales – Ecuador." Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador/MFSCC/FAO. 2004. | |
| Acetuno. "Guía de Especies Forestales de Nicaragua." Orgut Consulting AB. MARENA/INAFOR. 2002 | |
| Catálogo virtual de flora del Valle de Aburrá, Universidad EIA | |
| Gérard, J. Guibal, D. et al. "Tropical Timber Atlas: Technological characteristics and uses." ITTO. Éditions Quæ, 2017. | |
| Gutiérrez Pacheco, L. "Como elegir maderas según los usos en arquitectura y construcción." Universidad Privada Antenor Orrego. | |
| Laboratorio de Productos Forestales. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. 2018. | |
| Longwood, F. R. "Present and potential commercial timbers of the Caribbean." Agriculture Handbook No. 207. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1962. | |
| Marupa. Data Sheets. “The main technological characteristics of 245 tropical wood species.” Tropix 7. CIRAD. | |
| Marupa. FSC Denmark. Lesser Known Species. | |
| Marupa. ITTO Lesser Known Species. | |
| Marupa. Vignote Peña "Principales Maderas Tropicales Utilizadas en España." | |
| Oshiro Chinen, M. FICHA ESTÁNDAR DE FAMILIA DEL CATÁLOGO DE BIENES, SERVICIOS Y OBRAS DEL MEF. FICHA ESTÁNDAR N° 108 FAMILIA 20720030 MADERA MARUPA. julio de 2016 | |
| Puertas, S.P. "Manual de transformación de la madera." May 2013. ITTO/AIDER. | |
| Silva Guzmán, José Antonio. 2008. Fichas técnicas sobre características y usos de maderas comercializadas en México. Tomo II. Comisión Nacional Forestal (CONAFOR). Guadalajara, Jalisco. México 8. | |
| Simarouba. Wood Technology Transfer Fact Sheets. Forest Products Laboratory. USDA Forest Service. | |
| Standley, PC. Williams, LO. Gibson, DN. "Flora of Guatemala." Volume 24. Field Museum of Natural History. 1974. | |
| Tara. "Maderas de Colombia." GFTN. WWF | |
| Timyan, J. "Bwa Yo: Important Trees of Haiti." South-East Consortium for International Development. 1996. | |
| Vester, H., Navarro-Martínez, A. "Fichas Ecológicas arboles maderables de Quintana Roo." Forest Ecology And Management, Tropical Forest Ecology. 2007. | |
| World Agroforestry Centre database | |