The trees reach forty-eight metres, with trunk diameters of up to a metre. The wood they yield is warm chocolate brown with a fine, sometimes wavy figure, and it combines high density with durability class 1 to 2.

In practice cumaru is best known as the alternative to ipé: almost as hard, almost as durable, and noticeably cheaper. For decking that has to last twenty to thirty years without paying top price for ipé, it is the logical choice.

Botanical

Dipteryx odorata

Family

Leguminosae

Origin

Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, the Guianas

Tree height

up to 48 m, trunk up to 1 m

Colour

warm chocolate brown

Durability

class 1 to 2

To be fair: cumaru has a lot of interlocked grain, which makes planing tricky and the board more prone to movement than ipé. Decking boards can cup if they dry unevenly — kiln-dried wood and narrower boards limit that.