Collection: Brazil Nut
This wood is from the same tree that produces the Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excelsa). Up to 20,000 tons of Brazil Nuts are gathered and sold every year. Many trees were planted in the 70s and 80s to increase production and ease of gathering the nuts; and yet wild trees produce more nuts than those that have been plantation grown.Trees grow to a height of 160 ft. and diameters of 3-6 ft. These are some of the largest trees in the Amazon, living for 500 to 1,000 years. Trunks are smooth with grayish bark and straight for up to half of the trees height.The large crown towers over the sub canopy trees with long branches surrounding the other trees. The heavy, coconut shaped seed pods are 5-6 in diameter and contain a small hole at one end, which enables large rodents like the Agouti to gnaw it open. They then eat some of the nuts inside while burying others for later use; some of these are able to germinate into new Brazil nut trees. Most of the seeds are "planted" by the Agoutis in shady places. The young saplings may have to wait years in a state of dormancy for a tree to fall and sunlight to reach them before they start growing again. Brazil Nut wood is extremely dense and can be used for a variety of projects from furniture, boxes, instruments to flooring and more! It is moderately smooth grained and can take a smooth natural polish. Interlocked grain produces ribbon figure on rift and quarter sawn boards. The wood is called anything from exotic Almond to Brazil Nut wood.
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