Purple Heart (Peltogyne)

• Family: Leguminosae
• Other Common Names: Amaranth, Palo morado (Mexico), Morado (Panama, Venezuela), Tananeo (Columbia), Koroboreli (Guyana), Purperhart (Surinam), Amarante (French Guiana), Pau roxo, Guarabu (Brazil), Violetwood (English trade). 
• Distribution: Center of distribution in the north-middle part of the Brazilian Amazon region; combined range of all species from Mexico through Central America and southward to southern Brazil. 
• The Tree: Trees grow to heights of 170 ft. with diameters to 4 ft., but usually 1.5 to 3 ft; boles are straight, cylindrical, and clear 60 to 90 ft. above buttresses up to 12 ft. high. 
  

The Wood

• General Characteristics: heartwood brown when freshly cut becoming deep purple upon exposure, eventually turning to a dark brown sharply demarcated from the off-white sapwood. Texture medium to fine; luster medium to high, variable; grain usually straight, sometimes wavy, roey, or irregular; without distinctive odor or taste. 
• Weight: Basic specific gravity (oven dry weight/green volume) varies with species from 0.67 to 0.91; air-dry density 50 to 66 pcf.
• Mechanical Properties: (2-cm standard.) Janka side hardness ranges from 1,860 lb. to 3,920 lb. at 12% moisture content. Forest Products Laboratory toughness at 12% moisture content ranges from 157 to 398 in. .lb (5/8 in. specimen).
• Drying and Shrinkage: Reports vary, from air-dries easily to moderately difficult; dries slowly to fairly rapidly; with almost no degrade to some warping and splitting. Kiln schedule T6-D2 is suggested for 4/4 stock and T3-D1 for 8/4. Shrinkage green to oven dry: radial 3.2%; tangential 6.1%; volumetric 9.9%. Stability after manufacture or movement is rated as small. 
• Working Properties: Moderately difficult to work with either hand or machine tools, dulls cutters, exudes a gummy resin with heated by dull tools; slow feed rates and specially hardened cutters are suggested. Turns smoothly, easy to glue, and takes finishes well. 
  
• Durability: Heartwood is rated as highly durable in resistance to attack by decay fungi; very resistant to dry-wood termites; but little resistance to marine borers.
  
• Preservation: Heartwood is reported to be extremely resistant to impregnation with preservative oils; sapwood is permeable.
  
• Uses: Turnery, marquetry, cabinets, fine furniture, parquet flooring, tool handles, heavy construction, shipbuilding, many specialty items (billiard cue butts, chemical vats, carving).