Pau Jacaré
Scientific name: Piptadenia gonoacantha
Overview
Pau Jacaré is a deciduous hardwood native to eastern and southeastern South America, particularly Brazil and neighboring portions of Paraguay and Argentina. Piptadenia gonoacantha belongs to the Fabaceae family and occurs in several forest environments, including Atlantic Forest and seasonally dry or transitional woodland areas.
The wood generally ranges from pale yellowish brown to medium brown, sometimes developing warmer golden, reddish, or slightly olive tones. Sapwood is typically lighter and may show moderate contrast with mature heartwood. Grain is generally straight to somewhat interlocked, while texture ranges from medium to coarse.
Pau Jacaré is a relatively fast-growing regional timber used for construction, interior woodworking, boxes, crates, furniture components, agricultural applications, and general utility work. Although it is not one of South America’s major internationally traded hardwoods, it provides a useful example of the many regional species that contribute to local forestry and woodworking economies.
Quick Facts
- Common Name: Pau Jacaré
- Alternate Common Names: Jacaré, Angico-Jacaré
- Scientific Name: Piptadenia gonoacantha
- Region: South American Woods
- Tree Size: Approximately 30–65 ft (9–20 m) tall, occasionally larger under favorable conditions
- Average Dried Weight: Approximately 40–50 lbs/ft³ (640–800 kg/m³), with natural variation
- Janka Hardness: Reliable standardized species-specific values are not widely documented
- Grain: Straight to somewhat interlocked
- Texture: Medium to coarse
Identification Characteristics
Pau Jacaré generally produces pale yellowish-brown to medium-brown heartwood. Mature material can develop warmer golden-brown, reddish-brown, or subtle olive-brown tones.
Sapwood is generally cream to pale yellow and is usually lighter than the central wood.
Grain is commonly straight but may become interlocked or irregular. Texture is generally medium to coarse, giving the wood a more pronounced surface appearance than fine-textured tropical hardwoods.
Key identification traits include:
- Pale yellowish to medium-brown heartwood
- Occasional golden or reddish-brown tones
- Cream to pale yellow sapwood
- Moderate heartwood and sapwood contrast
- Straight to somewhat interlocked grain
- Medium to coarse texture
- Moderately pronounced grain
Working Properties
Pau Jacaré can generally be worked successfully with conventional woodworking equipment. Straight-grained material should cut and plane reasonably cleanly when sharp tools are used.
Interlocked or irregular grain can produce localized tear-out. The wood generally sands effectively and can accept paints, stains, and clear finishes with appropriate surface preparation.
- Machines reasonably well
- Sharp tools are recommended
- Interlocked grain may cause minor tear-out
- Turns reasonably well
- Sands effectively
- Glues satisfactorily
- Accepts stains and clear finishes
Safety Note
Detailed species-specific information concerning reactions to Pau Jacaré wood dust is limited. Dust generated from hardwood during machining can cause skin, eye, or respiratory irritation.
Appropriate dust collection, eye protection, and respiratory protection are recommended during sawing, routing, turning, and sanding.
Common Uses
Pau Jacaré has been used regionally for a variety of practical woodworking and construction applications, including:
- General construction
- Interior woodworking
- Furniture components
- Boxes and crates
- Agricultural structures
- Utility lumber
- Carpentry
- Turned objects
- Small woodworking projects
- Wood collections
Sustainability & Notes
Pau Jacaré occurs across portions of eastern South America and is associated particularly with Brazilian forest environments, including the Atlantic Forest region.
The species can grow relatively rapidly compared with many slow-growing tropical hardwoods and has been studied for forestry, restoration, and land-rehabilitation applications.
This creates potential value beyond conventional timber production. Native trees capable of establishing relatively quickly can contribute to forest restoration, soil recovery, habitat development, and mixed-species planting programs.
Sustainable sourcing should still consider forest origin, harvesting practices, habitat conservation, and traceability.
Comparative Notes & Related Species
Curupay – Another South American Fabaceae hardwood used regionally for construction and utility applications, but generally producing substantially denser and harder timber.
Canafistula – A South American leguminous hardwood providing a useful comparison in regional distribution, woodworking uses, coloration, and forest ecology.
Timbo – A South American Fabaceae timber that provides another useful comparison among regional woods used for furniture, construction, and general woodworking.
Related Guides
How to Identify Exotic Hardwood by Grain Pattern
Learn how grain direction, texture, figure, coloration, and other visible characteristics can help narrow the identity of unfamiliar hardwoods.
Understanding Wood Strength: What Makes Wood Strong?
Explore how grain structure, density, cellular anatomy, moisture content, and other characteristics influence mechanical performance.
Drying & Acclimating Exotic Woods
Learn how proper drying and acclimation can reduce checking, warping, distortion, and moisture-related problems before woodworking.
FSC Certification Explained
Explore how forest certification can help identify wood originating from responsibly managed forests and more transparent supply chains.
How to Start a Wood Collection
Learn how to begin building a geographically and botanically diverse collection while documenting scientific names, provenance, and specimen information.
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
Pau Jacaré is particularly useful for collectors because it represents a lesser-known regional South American timber that is seldom encountered in international exotic-wood collections.
A specimen with documented Brazilian or other South American provenance can help preserve information about a species whose importance is primarily regional rather than international.
Collector specimens should retain the scientific name Piptadenia gonoacantha, geographic origin, acquisition date, source, and any available identification information.
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.