Mallet of lignum vitae, all sapwoodWood of Bulnesia sarmientoi
Lignum vitae (/ˈlɪɡnəmˈvaɪti,-ˈviːtaɪ/[1]) is a wood, also called guayacan or guaiacum,[2] and in parts of Europe known as Pockholz or pokhout, from trees of the genus Guaiacum. The trees are indigenous to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America (e.g., Colombia and Venezuela) and have been an important export crop to Europe since the beginning of the 16th century. The wood was once very important for applications requiring a material with its extraordinary combination of strength, toughness, and density. It is also the national tree of the Bahamas, and the Jamaican national flower.[3]
The wood is obtained chiefly from Guaiacum officinale and Guaiacum sanctum, both small, slow-growing trees. All species of the genus Guaiacum are now listed in Appendix II of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) as potentially endangered species. G. sanctum is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List. Demand for the wood has been reduced by modern materials science, which has led to polymers, alloys and composite materials that can take lignum vitae's place.
Various other hardwoods may also be called lignum vitae and should not be confused with it. The best-known come from Bulnesia arborea and Bulnesia sarmientoi (in the same subfamily as Guaiacum) and are known as verawood or Argentine lignum vitae; they are somewhat similar in appearance and working qualities as genuine lignum vitae. Note that these species are now Plectrocarpa arborea and Plectrocarpa sarmientoi. Some hardwoods from Australasia (e.g., Vitex lignum-vitae and some species of Acacia and Eucalyptus) are also referred to as lignum vitae.
^"lignum vitae". Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary (Fifth ed.). 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2022 – via TheFreeDictionary.com.
^OED entry
^National Symbols of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service, archived from the original on 2006-06-19
Lignumvitae (/ˈlɪɡnəm ˈvaɪti, -ˈviːtaɪ/) is a wood, also called guayacan or guaiacum, and in parts of Europe known as Pockholz or pokhout, from trees...
HMBS LignumVitae (P 301) is the first of four Damen Stan 3007 patrol vessels commissioned by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. She was projected to be...
Guaiacum sanctum, commonly known as holywood, lignumvitae or holywood lignum-vitae, is a species of flowering plant in the creosote bush family, Zygophyllaceae...
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Colombia and Venezuela. Related to the true lignumvitae trees (Guaiacum), it is known as Maracaibo lignumvitae or (like its relative B. sarmientoi) as "verawood"...
wood is often traded as "Paraguay lignumvitae", since it has properties and uses similar to the "true" lignumvitae trees of genus Guaiacum, which are...
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Guaiacum officinale, commonly known as roughbark lignum-vitae, guaiacwood or gaïacwood, is a species of tree in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae, that...
was first published in 1595 by a Benedictine named Arnold Wion in his LignumVitæ, a history of the Benedictine order. He attributed it to Saint Malachy...
"vera") or "lignumvitae". They are close relatives of the "true" lignumvitae trees of genus Guaiacum. Bulnesia arborea – Maracaibo lignumvitae; 'True'...
caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae. Common names include Texas guaiacum, Texas lignum-vitae, soapbush and huayacán. It is native to southern and western Texas in...
Great Harbour Cay /ˈkiː/ is the major island in the north Berry Islands. It has a population of 353 (2010 census). The islands are a stirrup-shaped chain...
subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas and are commonly known as lignum-vitae, guayacán (Spanish), or gaïac (French). The genus name originated in...
Lignum nephriticum (Latin for "kidney wood") is a traditional diuretic that was derived from the wood of two tree species, the narra (Pterocarpus indicus)...
Rhodii, (Convolvulus floridus und Convolvulus scoparius); also as Lignum rhodium, Lignum cyprinum Other rosewoods; Colliguaja odorifera, Erythroxylum havanense...
following the August 1, 2020 rule change. Bowling balls were made of lignumvitae (hardwood) until the 1905 introduction of rubber balls. Polyester ("plastic")...
Mangkono has long been recognized as a substitute for the world-famous Lignumvitae (Guaicum officinale L.). Mangkono is an excellent material for the bearing...
Turk. For Cat Island, it could have been on Watlings Island, and for LignumVitae Cay it could have been Eleuthera Island. The Watling's, Grand Turk, and...
covered in rare tropical hardwoods such as the island's namesake, Holywood Lignum-vitae (Guaiacum sanctum). Three features on the island have been assigned archaeological...
Boswellia sacra, galbanum from Ferula gummosa, gum guaiacum from the lignumvitae trees of the genus Guaiacum, kauri gum from trees of Agathis australis...
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