Chicle (Manilkara zapota)
Family: Sapotaceae
Common names: Black bully, Breiapfel, Cal-que-lidze-na, Chewing gum tree, Chicle, Chicle macho, Chicle tree, Chicltree, Chico, Chicosapote, Chicozapote, Chiczapotl, Chiquibul, Dilly, Guela-china, Gueladao guenda-china, Guenda-guina, Guendaxina, Iban, Jaas, Jega, Jiga, Korob, Licsujacat, Mespel, Mispel, Mispelboom, Mispoe, Mispu, Mo-ta, Muy, Muyozapot, Naseberry, Neesberry, Nisberry, Nisperillo, Nispero, Nispero de montana, Nispero de monte, Nispero quitense, Nispero tierno, No-yumna, Pernetamo, Peruetano, Red silion, Sak-ya, Sapatija, Sapodilla, Sapodilla plum, Sapote, Sapoti, Sapotier, Sapotilha, Sapotillbaum, Sapotille, Sapotiller, Sheink, Shene, Silion, Ta-nich, Tiaca-ia, Tzabitath, Tzaput, Tzicozapotl, Xicozapotl, Yaga-guelde, Zapote, Zapote blanco, Zapote chico, Zapote colorado, Zapote de abejas, Zapote morado, Zapotillo, Zaya
Distributed in: Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, United States, Venezuela (Central America, Latin America, North America, Oceania and S.E. Asia)
Distribution overview: The sapodilla is believed native to Yucatan and possibly other nearby parts of southern Mexico, as well as northern Belize and Northeastern Guatemala. In this region there were once 100,000,000 trees. The species is found in forests throughout Central America where it has apparently been cultivated since ancient times. It was introduced long ago throughout tropical America and the West Indies, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Florida Keys and the southern part of the Florida mainland. Early in colonial times, it was carried to the Philippines and later was adopted everywhere in the Old World tropics. It reached Ceylon in 1802. Cultivation is most extensive in coastal India (Maharastra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madras and Bengal States), where plantations are estimated to cover 4,942 acres (2,000 ha), while Mexico has 3,733.5 acres (1,511 ha) devoted to the production of fruit (mainly in the states of Campeche and Veracruz) and 8,192 acres (4,000 ha) primarily for extraction of chicle (see under "Other Uses") as well as many dooryard and wild trees. Commercial plantings prosper in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, the interior valleys of Palestine, as well as in various countries of South and Central America, including Venezuela and Guatemala.
Common uses: Bridge construction, Cabinetmaking, Chemical derivatives, Construction, Crossties, Factory flooring, Flooring, Flooring: industrial heavy traffic, Furniture , Furniture, Heavy construction, Light construction, Marine construction, Mathematical instruments, Mine timbers, Musical instruments, Piling, Posts, Railroad ties, Rulers, Shade rollers, Shuttles, Structural work, Textile equipment, Tool handles, Turnery, Vehicle parts, Wharf construction
Product sources: Supplies are limited since the timber is believed to be exported in only small quantities, if at all. It is available in small quantities in Florida where the tree has naturalized.
Environment profile: Status has not been officially assessed
Tree size: Tree height is 20-30 m
Colors: the heart isRed, Reddish brownand the sapwoodWhite, Yellow.The grain isStriped figure, the textureMediumand the lusterMedium
Natural durability: Susceptible to insect attack, Very durable
Odor: No specific smell or taste
Kiln Schedules: Dry at a slow speed
Kiln Drying Rate: Rapid
Drying Defects: Severe end splitting, Severe surface checking
Ease of Drying: Thick Stock Requires Care
Tree Identification: Bole/stem form is straight
Comments: General finishing qualities are rated as good General finishing qualities are rated as satisfactory
Blunting Effect: Little
Boring: Fairly easy to very easy
Carving: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Cutting Resistance: Moderate to saw
Gluing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Mortising: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Moulding: Very Good to Excellent
Movement in Service: Very Good to Excellent
Nailing: Possible if prebored, Pre-Boring Recommended
Planing: Very Good to Excellent
Resistance to Impregnation: Resistant sapwood
Response to hand tools: Responds Readily
Routing recessing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Sanding: Fair to Good Results
Turning: Very Good to Excellent Results
Painting: Fair to Good; Polishing: Satisfactory; Staining: Fair to Good;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
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| Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
| Specific Gravity |
|
0,71 |
|
| Density |
|
817 |
kg/m3 |
| Bending Strength |
1283 |
1966 |
kg/cm2 |
| Crushing Strength |
152 |
237 |
kg/cm2 |
| Hardness |
|
|
kg |
| Impact Strength |
|
|
cm |
| Shearing Strength |
|
|
kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness |
185 |
218 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
| Tangential Shrinkage |
|
|
% |
| Radial Shrinkage |
6 |
|
% |
| Weight |
881 |
801 |
kg/m3 |
| Maximum Load |
|
|
cm-kg/cm3 |
| Toughness |
|
|
cm-kg |
| Static Bending |
622 |
970 |
kg/cm2 |
|
 |  |  |  | | Item | Green | Dry | English | | Bending Strength | 18259 | 27966. | psi | | Crushing Strength | 2175 | 3377. | psi | | Density | | 51 | lbs/ft3 | | Maximum Crushing Strength | 8154 | 13069. | psi | | Static Bending | 8851 | 13800. | psi | | Stiffness | 2634 | 3114. | 1000 psi | | Specific Gravity | | 0.71 | | | Weight | 55 | 50 | lbs/ft3 | | Radial Shrinkage | 6 | | % | | Tangential Shrinkage | 9 | | % | |
Density (dry weight) = 67-75 lbs/cu. ft. Density (dry weight) = >75 lbs/cu. ft. Density (dry weight) = 61-67 lbs/cu. ft. Weight = high Hardness = very high Bending strength (MOR) = high Some Mayan structures are reported to still contain sound members of Sapodilla wood.
Belize,1946,42 Secondary Hardwood Timbers of British Honduras,British Honduras Forest Department Bulletin,No.1Benitez Ramos, R.F and J.L. Montesinos Lagos. 1988. Catalogo de cien especies forestales de Honduras: Distribution, Propiedades y Usos. Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Forestales, Siguatepeque, Honduras.Brazier, J.D., Franklin, G.L.,1967,An Appraisal of the Wood Characteristics and Potential Uses of some,Nicaraguan Timbers,FAO for Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes RisboroughBritton, N.L., Millspaugh, C.F.,1920,The Bahama Flora,Britton & Millspaugh,New YorkFlynn Jr., J.H. 1993. Manilkara zapota - Sapodilla. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 228-229.Fors, A.J.,1965,Maderas Cubanas,Inst. Nac. Ref. Agraria La HabaraHoward, A.L.,1948,A Manual of Timbers of the World.,Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London 3rd ed.Kribs, D.A.,1950,Commercial and Foreign Woods on the American Market (a manual to their,structure, identification, uses and distribution,U.S.A. Penn. State College, Tropical Woods LaboratoryLittle, E.L., Wadsworth, F.H.,1964,Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook,No.249Patterson, D.,1988,Commercial Timbers of the World, 5th Edition,Gower Technical PressPearson, R.S.,1929,Summary of preliminary reports on British Honduras sapodilla (Achras,sapota,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough Project O,Investigation No.8Pennington, T.D., Sarukhan, J.,1968,Manual para la Identificacion de campo de los Principales Arboles,Tropicales de Mexico,Inst. Nac. Inv. For. MexicoRecord, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1943,Timbers of the New World,Yale University PressRecord, S.J., Mell, C.D.,1924,Timbers of Tropical America,Yale Univ. PressRecord, S.J.,1939,American Woods of the Family Sapotaceae,Tropical Woods 8(59) pp21-51Titmuss, F.H.,1965,Commercial Timbers of the World,Technical Press Ltd., London, 3rd editionVolkart, C.,1965,Recopilacion dedatos sobre propiedacies y usos maderos del Bosque Tropical,de las Costa Atlantica de Nicaragua,Turrialba,15(1, pp43-57Woods, R.P.,1949,Timbers of South America,TRADA, Red Booklet Series
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