It is a beautiful tree that can be found scattered all over the coast of Reunion Island. Its branches are sub-horizontal and inserted in successive stages. Like benzoin, it more or less loses its leaves. It gives fruits whose seed in the shape of a large almond and the pulp can be eaten. It is mainly used for its decorative appearance and shading.
Woods
Woods ..
BADAME
Terminalia catappa L. Family COMBRETACEAE
Characteristics of wood : No follow-up production. Wood with a twisted grain, open pore, rich reflections, dark veining, ligniform and contrasting. This soft, stable, pinkish-yellow wood is easy to work and finish.
BANNER Albizzia lebbeck (C) Benth Family MIMOSACEAE
This legume was imported in the 19th century to Reunion and became perfectly acclimatized there. It is the best protector of coffee trees. The trunk is short, sinewy, the bark is thick, somewhat reminiscent of that of highland tamarinds. The leaves are opposite and compound. The very mobile leaflets close during the hottest hours of the day. This tree is easily recognized when it produces these large, dry, yellow pods. The banoir or black wood of the bottom adapts to the poorest soils. It is a light species tolerant of some shading. 600 meters seems to be its upper altitudinal limit. This species has been used in reforestation. Its production is not monitored, just a few m3 per year. .
Characteristics of wood : Tree with dark heart and white sapwood, hollow pore. Medium to medium coarse grain. Counter grain present but rarely strong. It is an elastic and supple wood, with rich veins and a velvety luster. It is a hard wood to work with and easy to finish.
Benzoin Terminalia bentzoe (L) Lf Family COMBRETACEAE
Like the badamier or the mantaly (other species of the same genus), it is characterized by its port. It is a beautiful and large tree with a cylindrical and straight trunk, with horizontal branches, bearing many branches on their upper face. The leaves are narrow and elongated, with purple veins. The thick bark is cracked and scaly. It is dark beige to beige brown in color. Benzoin is an essence of light. Its growth decreases with altitude. It is found almost everywhere on the island, but is mainly used in reforestation of the low and humid zone. It is a fast growing tree.
Characteristics of wood : Production is not tracked. Beige-yellow to yellow-green wood with a hollow pore, tight grain and very fine mesh. It is a binding wood, of good quality and very solid with grain and counter grain which sometimes make its finish difficult. The bark has dyeing and medicinal properties.
Black Olive Wood
Olea chrysophylla Lam. Oleaceae family
It is distinguished from white olive wood by a more shrubby habit and by its dark green leaves above and a little golden below, its branches being greyish. It is identical to the olive tree of France. It is found mainly in dry places. Because of its small size and its slow growth, it is not the subject of logging, and there is no ongoing production.
Wood characteristics : Beige brown wood, with purple-brown, rich and contrasting brown veins, dark-hearted, very small pore and tight grain. Against frequent thread. It is a heavy, greasy wood with a beautiful, easy finish. Very good resistance to weather and biological attacks.
Camphor
Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Sieb. LAURACEAE family
Originally from the hot regions of Asia, it remains very sensitive to the nature of the soil, while it supports a large variation in altitude: from 0 to 700 meters. It requires early pruning. Its wood is appreciated and of rapid growth. Plantings are in progress in the south of the island. Production is still irregular.
Characteristics of wood : tree with very dense foliage, clear and membranous leaves. The characteristic bark makes it recognizable. Light brown in color and thick, it cracks longitudinally in places.
Cassia of Siam - Acassia of Siam
Cassia siamea Lam. CAESALPINIACEAE family
Not exceeding 20 meters, its dark green foliage is persistent and its golden yellow flowers. It is a vigorous and invasive essence of half light. Planting trials have been carried out in the West of the island and towards St-Philippe, it is often found mixed with neem and black wood from the bottom. Its growth is rapid. No follow-up production.
Characteristics of wood :
Wood with a black heart, hard and white sapwood, sensitive to biological attacks, finely streaked with yellow, it is the darkest of the Reunion species. The pore is hollow, the grain straight and the grain coarse. Work and medium finish, it releases an acrid and strongly bitter dust.
Champac Michelia champaca L. Family MAGNOLIACEAE
This beautiful tree with a straight trunk reaches about fifteen meters. Its blade is wavy and its central vein is clearly visible. The bark is smooth, light gray in color. It has large leaves and produces fragrant yellow flowers. There are a few specimens in the Cirque de Salazie, in courtyards, in alignments along the roads and especially on the east coast of the island. No follow-up production.
Characteristics of wood : It is a golden yellow gray wood with a warm grain. Its qualities are close to those of tamarind in its hardness and clear sapwood. Work and finish are of good quality.
CypressCupressacio lusitanica, benthamii variety CUPRESSACEAE family
Soft and homogeneous wood of light yellow color and tight grain. Its veining is very soft and very fine. This ligneous wood has very long and fissionable fibres. It is used in cabinetmaking, marquetry and violin making, especially for the manufacture of flamenco. Work and finish of very good quality.
Eucalyptus Eucalyptus robusta JE Smith Family MYRTACEAE
Large tree that seems to consist only of a straight trunk, it has a large number of small branches, none large. It is recognized by its thick, deeply cracked and spongy bark. The tree is vulnerable to cyclones. Native to Australia like all eucalyptus, it consumes a lot of water, does not support dry places but tolerates a certain amount of salt in the soil. Eucalyptus having a bad reputation due to its low resistance to winds, it is found isolated.
Characteristics of wood : Pink-brown wood, it is frequently criss-crossed with magnificent moires. It is a heavy, hard, very homogeneous wood with a fine grain. Its work and its finish are made difficult by the counter thread and the undulations of the thread. It resists pest attacks well. Work and finish of very good quality.
grevilarian Grevilea Robusta A. Cunn. PROTEACEA family
This tree reaches 20 to 30 meters in height. The greyish bark is finely cracked, its large leaves are compound and reminiscent of certain ferns. The grevilaria gives very decorative reddish yellow flowers. Originally from Australia, it tolerates drought well but fears the wind. It is found both at low and medium altitudes, in the west of the island. It is often used as an ornamental tree.
Characteristics of wood : No follow-up production. Its growth is rapid. Straight and tender wood, light, and with open pores, pinkish beige in color. Medium grain. Very wide lustrous mesh from 4 to 6 mm depending on the flow rate. Its thread is straight. Easy to work and finish. Very susceptible to pest attacks.
Letchi
Nephelium litchi Cambes Famille des SAPINDACÉES
It is a tree that reaches beautiful dimensions. It has a ball shape, the bark is thin and light brown. The leaves are composed of an even number of leaflets. The lychee gives highly appreciated fruits.
Characteristics of wood : Pinkish to red colored wood, tight grain, full pore. Hard, heavy wood, difficult to work with, however, a beautiful finish is obtained.
Margosier Melia azedarach L. Family MELIACEAE
Neem is also known as Persian lilac or Indian lilac. The bark is dark gray in color and scaly in type. The leaves are compound, very cut and broad. The margosier produces liliaceous flowers with a purple heart and small yellowish fruits the size of a small olive. It is found mainly in the west of the island, up to 600 – 700 meters above sea level. Settlement trials are underway in the Cirque de Mafate.
Characteristics of wood : Production not tracked. Fairly light, soft wood, pinkish yellow in color and hollow-pored. Its veins are not very contrasted, it is a fairly fast growing wood. Average workmanship and finish.
Tamarind from the heights Acacia heterophylla (Lam.) Willd. MIMOSACEAE family
Tree with a gnarled, short and branchy trunk. The crown is fluctuating and loose. The whitish bark is slightly rough. Until the third year, its leaves consist of tiny leaflets, then the plant bears only simple blade-like leaves. It is an endemic tree in Reunion. It grows between 1200 and 1900 meters above sea level. It has superficial rooting which makes it fragile to the winds. The highland tamarind regenerates naturally. It is a light species, robust, with rapid growth in the first years.
Characteristics of wood : Wood with a color varying from yellow brown to orange brown, with coarse grain and hollow pore. It is a good lumber, binder, of beautiful appearance, easy to work with, of average finish, abundant and of good conservation. Production monitored.