Jamaican Cherry
Scientific name: Muntingia calabura
Overview
Jamaican Cherry is a small, fast-growing tropical hardwood native to the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and portions of northern South America. Despite its common name, it is not a true cherry but is widely recognized for its abundant production of small, sweet red fruits that attract birds, bats, and other wildlife.
The species has been widely introduced throughout tropical regions worldwide due to its rapid growth, adaptability, and value as a shade and fruit tree. While it is not considered a major commercial timber species, the wood is occasionally utilized for light woodworking projects, carvings, utility items, and fuelwood.
Because of its ecological importance and widespread distribution, Jamaican Cherry is often encountered in secondary forests, disturbed habitats, roadsides, and tropical landscapes where it serves as an important pioneer species.
Within the Caribbean & West Indies hardwood group, Jamaican Cherry is valued primarily for its ecological contributions, wildlife benefits, and fast-growing nature rather than for commercial lumber production.
Quick Facts
- Common Name: Jamaican Cherry
- Scientific Name: Muntingia calabura
- Region: Caribbean & West Indies Hardwoods
- Tree Size: 20–50 ft tall, 8–24 in trunk diameter
- Average Dried Weight: 28 lbs/ft³ (450 kg/m³)
- Janka Hardness: Approximately 500 lbf
- Color: Pale yellow to light brown
- Grain: Generally straight
- Texture: Fine to medium
Identification Characteristics
Jamaican Cherry produces a light-colored wood ranging from pale yellow to light brown. The wood is relatively lightweight and soft compared to many tropical hardwoods, reflecting the tree’s rapid growth rate.
The grain is generally straight and the texture is fine to medium. Finished surfaces display a smooth, clean appearance, although the wood lacks the dramatic figure or coloration associated with many decorative tropical hardwood species.
Key identification traits include:
- Pale yellow to light brown coloration
- Lightweight structure
- Generally straight grain
- Fine to medium texture
- Uniform appearance
- Moderate natural luster
- Relatively soft wood
- Small-diameter logs
- Associated with small red edible fruits
Working Properties
Jamaican Cherry is easy to work due to its low density and relatively soft structure.
- Machines easily
- Carves well
- Turns easily
- Accepts finishes readily
- Sands smoothly
- Good gluing properties
- Easy to cut and shape
- Moderate dimensional stability
- Suitable for light-duty projects
Safety Note
Wood dust from Jamaican Cherry may cause skin, eye, or respiratory irritation in sensitive individuals. Proper dust collection and respiratory protection are recommended during woodworking operations.
Common Uses
Jamaican Cherry common uses include:
- Small woodworking projects
- Carvings
- Craft items
- Light furniture
- Turned objects
- Utility items
- Fuelwood
- Shade tree plantings
- Ornamental landscaping
- Wildlife habitat plantings
- Collector wood samples
- Educational collections
Sustainability & Notes
Jamaican Cherry is one of the fastest-growing tropical tree species and has become widely established throughout tropical and subtropical regions around the world.
The tree produces fruit nearly year-round in favorable climates, providing an important food source for birds, bats, and other wildlife. Because it readily colonizes disturbed areas and grows rapidly, Jamaican Cherry often serves as a pioneer species during forest regeneration.
The species is generally abundant throughout its range and is not considered a significant conservation concern. Its ecological value frequently exceeds its commercial timber importance.
Comparative Notes & Related Species
Calaba – A denser Caribbean hardwood used for furniture, construction, and woodworking applications.
West Indian Laurel – Another Caribbean hardwood valued for its durability, stability, and utility uses.
West Indian Mahogany – A premium Caribbean hardwood known for its beauty, workability, and historical significance.
Related Guides
Building a Documented Wood Collection – Explore best practices for labeling, documenting, and preserving wood specimens.
Identifying Unknown Wood Samples – Discover techniques used to identify unfamiliar wood species using appearance, grain, texture, and physical characteristics.
How to Identify Wood by End Grain Patterns – Learn how end grain structure can help distinguish wood species and improve identification accuracy.
Compare Wood Properties
See how this species ranks in density and hardness using our Wood Density & Janka Hardness Chart. You can also explore Hardest Woods, Softest Woods, and Most Dense Woods for quick comparisons.
Collector Notes
Jamaican Cherry is an interesting addition to wood collections because it represents a species that is far more important ecologically and horticulturally than commercially. Well-prepared specimens demonstrate how tropical hardwoods can vary dramatically in density, hardness, and appearance.
Collectors often appreciate the species because of its edible fruit, rapid growth, wildlife value, and widespread presence throughout tropical landscapes.
Share Your Photos of This Species
Do you have lumber, wood samples, tree photographs, woodworking projects, furniture, carvings, turnings, musical instruments, or other items made from this species?
Exotic Woods of the World welcomes photographs from woodworkers, collectors, sawyers, researchers, and wood enthusiasts around the world. Selected submissions may be featured on this page and throughout our website to help document and showcase real-world examples of this species.
When submitting photos, please include the common name, scientific name (if known), a brief description, and any information you would like us to share with the image.
Wood Sample Collection
This species is part of an ongoing effort to document and preserve wood samples from around the world.
Learn more about contributing to the collection:
Resources
Authoritative botanical and forestry references used in compiling information about this species include:
• USDA Forest Service – Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material
https://www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/products/publications/
• The Wood Database – Global reference for wood identification, physical properties, and woodworking characteristics
https://www.wood-database.com/
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – Plants of the World Online – Botanical taxonomy and species distribution database
https://powo.science.kew.org/
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN Red List) – Global conservation status assessments
https://www.iucnredlist.org/
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) – International trade regulations for protected plant species
https://cites.org/
Additional forestry publications, academic research papers, and regional timber studies may also be referenced where available.
Love This Species?
Enjoy learning about this wood species?
Help support the continued growth of Exotic Woods of the World by participating in our Adopt a Species program. Your support helps fund species research, educational content, photography, videos, and future conservation awareness initiatives.
Support Forest Conservation
This species is part of the growing Exotic Woods of the World reference archive, dedicated to documenting and preserving knowledge of the world’s wood species.
Through the Adopt a Species program, visitors can help support ongoing species research, educational content, photography, video production, and future conservation awareness initiatives.
Contributions help fund the continued expansion of this archive while promoting sustainable forestry education and the long-term appreciation of the world’s forests.
Interested in supporting this species? Visit our Adopt a Species and Conservation Partners pages to learn more.
Availability & Where to Buy
Exotic hardwood availability can vary significantly depending on region, sustainability regulations, and supplier inventory.
As this archive grows, recommended suppliers and specialty wood retailers will be listed here to help woodworkers locate responsibly sourced material.
Lumber Suppliers:
Availability varies — see the Where to Buy Exotic Woods page for current sources.
Related Tools & Products:
Availability varies — see the Where to Buy Exotic Woods page for current sources.
Share This Wood Species
Stay Connected
Follow the latest species additions, educational resources, videos, conservation initiatives, and major project milestones through our Site Updates archive.
The Site Updates archive provides a permanent record of new content, library growth, and future developments across Exotic Woods of the World.