Botanically, Palo Santo, also known as Vera (bot.: Bulnesia sarmiento, B. arborea), belongs to the Zygophyllaceae family. The natural distribution is limited to the dry forests of Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay, the so-called Chaco. The tree reaches a height of up to 15 m and a trunk diameter of up to 40 cm. Palo Santo is valued by the local population for the healing properties of its bark (stomach diseases). Export restrictions in the meantime.
Fresh heartwood initially light olive brown to chocolate brown, later darkening to greenish. Distinctive markings (stripe and feather pattern), sapwood white with clear boundaries. Pores fine, storage cells inconspicuous, medullary rays finely marked with slight mirror formation. Pronounced alternate growth, extremely fiber-entangled, practically not splittable (!), overall decorative.
Density at 12% moisture content is approx. 1.10 – 1.15 t/m3; bulk density thus reaches that of pockwood. No information is available on swelling and shrinkage behavior or bending stiffness. Palo Santo contains essential ingredients and calicum crystals. Among other things, these substances are also responsible for its high natural durability.
Machinability: Problems can occur when planing; decorative and smooth surfaces can be created by sanding. The guaiacol contained in the wood, a tree resin, causes dot-like deposits on the surface when fresh, which can be easily removed with alcohol.
The wood exudes a pleasant fragrance.
Tools, art objects, carvings, scented wood, smoked wood
Lopez, Little, Ritz, Rombold and Hahn, 1987: Arboles comunes de Paraguay, 425 pages,
University Press Asunción, Paraguay.
Richter and Dallwitz, 2000: Commercial timber
Note: according to the latest findings, but excluding any liability
