Piquia

Cagui

Family: Caryocaraceae

Other Common Names: C. villosum: Ajillo (Costa Rica), Pekia (Guayana), Sawarie (Surinam), Almendro (Peru), Piquia (Brazil); C. costarricense Aji (Costa Rica), Cagui, Almendrillo, Almendron (Colombia).

Distribution: Commercial species of the genus found in Costa Rica and southward into northern Colombia, upland forests of the Amazon valley, to eastern Brazil and the Guianas.

The Tree: Attains heights of 120 to 150 ft and diameters of 5 to 7 ft (16 ft reported) in the Amazon valley; 3- to 4-ft diameters reported in Colombia. Logs of good form and clear to 70 ft.

The Wood:
General Characteristics: Heartwood yellowish to light grayish brown hardly separable from the sapwood. Texture medium to rather coarse; grain interlocked; fresh material with a mild vinegary scent but without odor or taste when dry.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.67 to 0.76; air-dry density 51 to 58 pcf.

Mechanical Properties: (2-in. standard)

Moisture content Bending strength Modulus of elasticity Maximum crushing strength

(%) (Psi) (1,000 psi) (Psi)

Green (74) 12,450 1,820 6,290

12% 17,060 2,160 8,410

Janka side hardness 1,720 lb for both green and dry material. Forest Products Laboratory toughness average for green and dry material is 150 in.-lb (5/8-in. specimen).

Drying and Shrinkage: Air-dries at a slow rate, warping and checking develop but only to a minor degree. Classified as moderately difficult to difficult to season. No kiln schedules available. Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 5.0%; tangential 8.0%; volumetric 13.0%.

Working Properties: Reported as easy to moderately difficult to saw; rapid dulling cutting edges; radial faces difficult to finish smoothly because of interlocked grain.

Durability: Heartwood rated as very durable in resistance to both brown-rot and white-rot fungi; classified as resistant to dry-wood termites and moderately resistant to marine borers.

Preservation: No data available on treatability. The wood is rated fair in its resistance to weathering (based on laboratory exposure tests) which contradicts its favorable reputation in the tropics.

Uses: General and marine construction, heavy flooring, railway crossties, boat parts, furniture components, especially suitable where hardness and high wear resistance are needed. Tree produces a large edible fruit which contains an oil- producing nut used for culinary purposes.