Primavera

Primavera (Tabebuia donnell-smithii)

Common Name(s): Primavera, Prima Vera

Scientific Name: Tabebuia donnell-smithii (syn. Cybistax donnell-smithii)

Distribution: Central America (Also grown on plantations)

Tree Size: 100 ft (30 m) tall, 2-3 ft (.6-1.0 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 30 lbs/ft³ (480 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .39

Hardness: 740 lb_f (3,290 N)

Rupture Strength: 10,230 lb_f/in² (70,550 kPa)

Elastic Strength: 1,133,000 lb_f/in² (7,810 MPa)

Crushing Strength: 5,600 lb_f/in² (38.6 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 3.1%, Tangential: 5.1%, Volumetric: 8.6%, T/R Ratio: 1.6

Color/Appearance: Usually ranges from a pale cream color to a golden yellow. Color tends to darken and redden with age. Can exhibit a ribbon-like chatoyant grain pattern similar to quartersawn Sapele.

Grain/Pore: Grain usually ranges from straight to slightly interlocked. Medium texture and medium sized pores, with a naturally high luster.

Durability: Heartwood is somewhat resistant to decay, though it is susceptible to insect attack. Primavera has good overall weathering properties. Also, heartwood and sapwood are not well defined and look similar in color, with the sapwood being perishable.

Workability: Although Primavera frequently has interlocked and irregular grain, it is overall quite easy to work: most likely on account of its rather low density compared to other hardwoods. It does, however, have a moderate blunting effect on cutting edges, so carbide tools are recommended. Primavera also tends to split when nailed or screwed, so pilot holes are recommended despite the wood’s softness. Turns, glues, stains, and finishes well.

Scent: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.

Safety: Although no known direct testing has been performed, Primavera has been found to contain Lapachenole and Lapachol, two sensitizers found in other wood species that are known to cause skin irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price/Availability: Primavera is commonly sold in both lumber and veneer form. Prices should be in the mid-range for imported lumber; prices are likely to be stabler than other tropical American exotics since it is also plantation grown.

Comments: Primavera is looks similar to a number of other woods species, such as Ceylon Satinwood, and is sometimes also referred to as “White Mahogany.”

Some common uses for Primavera include: veneer, furniture, cabinetry, and interior trim.

Related Species: (Although Ipe is technically in the same genus as Primavera, Tabebuia is a very diverse genus with several groupings of tree species with widely varying wood characteristics.)

Ipe (Tabebuia spp.)

Scans/Pictures: A special thanks to Steve Earis for providing the veneer sample of this wood species.

Primavera (sanded)