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QUEBRACHO

Aspidosperma spp., Acacia spp., and Schinopsis spp. (see below)


Quebracho is a common name in Spanish used to describe any species of wood that is extremely hard. The name derived from a term meaning "axe-breaker".

This name (often mis-spelled "querbracho" or "querbacho") is, in the USA at least, most often used for "querbracho colorado", but basically because of its highly generic use, the name is a mess. Below is a list of all the botanical name / common name pairs that I have. I do not vouch for the accuracy or completeness of this list, but it does give you some idea what a mess it is. It is, of course, futher complicated by the fact that most, and almost certainly all, of the species listed below have many other common names not shown here and some of those names are more often used for woods that are NOT normally called quebracho (at least in the USA). For example, both Astronium fraxinifolium and Astronium graveolens refer to a wood that is called "goncalo alves" in the USA.

There are at least two groups of "legitimately named" quebracho woods (that is, ones that DO normally use the name quebracho as their common name, or part of their common name, at least in the USA and I believe also in South America). These are the "red" and "white" groups. The red group is primarily Schinopsis lorentzii and Schinopsis balansae, both of the family Anacardiaceae and the white group is primarily Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco of the family Apocynaceae. As you can see, these groups are not even in the same family.

I am currently putting all "quebracho" images on this page because (1) it is not particularly common in the USA and thus is not of primary interest to me, and (2) I don't know enough to properly distinguish them anyway. That's my story, and I sticking with it :-)

Acacia angustissima = quebracho liso (brazil)
Acacia cochliacantha = quebracho (mexico)
Acacia pringlei = quebracho (mexico)
Acacia spp. = quebracho (brazil)
Acanthosyris spinescens = quebracho flojo (uruguay)
Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco = horco quebracho (argentina, brazil, paraguay), palo blanco (argentina), quebrachillo (argentina, brazil, paraguay), quebracho bianco (argentina, brazil, paraguay), quebracho blanc (argentina, brazil), quebracho blanco colorado (paraguay), vit kvebracho (argentina, brazil), vit quebracho (argentina, brazil), white quebracho (argentina, brazil, paraguay, uruguay)
Aspidosperma quebracho-colorado = barauna, brauna, coronillo, echte (true) quebracho (argentina, paraguay), quebracho, quebracho colorado, quebracho macho
Aspidosperma spp. = quebracho blanco (surinam)
Astronium fraxinifolium = quebracho (colombia), quebracho-quebracho (colombia) ON THIS SITE AS GONCALO ALVES
Astronium graveolens = quebracho (colombia, panama, venezuela) ON THIS SITE AS GONCALO ALVES
Astronium spp. = quebracho macho (brazil)
Caesalpinia spp. = quebracho (mexico)
Cojoba arborea = quebracho (guatemala, honduras)
Cupania glabra = quebracho (mexico)
Diphysa robinioides = quebracho de cerro (honduras)
Ehretia tinifolia = quebracho (cuba)
Enterolobium spp. = quebracho siso (honduras)
Handroanthus chrysanthus (syn. Tabebuia chrysantha) = quebracho (honduras)
Harpalyce arborescens = quebracho (mexico)
Hymenolobium petraeum = quebracho (peru)
Jodina rhombifolia = quebracho flojo (argentina, south america)
Krugiodendron ferreum = quebracho (belize)
Lonchocarpus michelianus = quebracho (el salvador)
Lysiloma acapulcensis = quebracho (honduras)
Lysiloma divaricata = quebracho (brazil, el salvador, mexico)
Lysiloma kellerrnanii = quebracho
Lysiloma spp. = quebracho colorado (brazil), quebracho de cerro (honduras), quebracho negro (el salvador)
Maclura tinctoria = quebracho de cerro (honduras) ON THIS SITE AS ARGENTINE OSAGE ORANGE
Pentaclethra macroloba = quebracho (costa rica)
Piptadenia constricta = quebracho (brazil, el salvador)
Poeppigia excelsa = quebracho blanco
Poeppigia procera = quebracho blanco (brazil, el salvador)
Schinopsis balansae = barauna, red quebracho, gekleurde quebracho (argentina, paraguay), quebracho (argentina), quebracho chaqueno (argentina), quebracho colorado (argentina, paraguay), quebracho colorado chaqueno (argentina), quebracho macho (paraguay), quebracho rubio (paraguay), quebracho, willow-leaf red, real quebracho (argentina, paraguay), rotes quebrachoholz (south america), vrai quebracho (argentina, paraguay)
Schinopsis lorentzii = echte quebracho (argentina), gekleurde quebracho (argentina), lorenzo's quebracho, quebracho (argentina), quebracho colorado (argentina), quebracho colorado santiagueno (argentina), quebracho colore (argentina), quebracho hembra (paraguay), quebracho rubio (paraguay), quebracho santiagueno (argentina), real quebracho (argentina), red quebracho (south america), rotes quebrachoholz (south america), vrai quebracho (argentina)
Schinopsis spp. = quebracho (argentina, paraguay, usa), quebracho chaqueno, quebracho colorado, quebracho crespo (argentina), quebracho hembra, quebracho hembra (brazil), quebracho macho (argentina), quebracho moro (argentina), quebracho negro (argentina), quebracho santiagueno
Sloanea spp. = quebracho (jamaica)
Tecoma spp. = quebracho (honduras)
Thouinia portoricensis = quebracho (puerto rico)

my samples:
NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K)
colors will vary under other lighting conditions

None yet

web pics:


log end listed as white quebracho (Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco)


planks listed as just "quebracho"


plank listed as quebracho / Schinopsis balansae


plank listed as quebracho blanco / Shinopsis spp.


plank listed as quebracho colorado and speciifically as Schinopsis lorentzii. This same image, somewhat edited but clearly from this original, showed up on two other web site, on one of which it was listed as red quebracho / Schinopsis spp.


plank listed as quebracho colorado


listed as both sides of a thin-wood plank of quebracho colorado. I have no explanation for why it is that the two pics do not look at all like two sides of the same plank, and in fact, I do not believe they are.


bowl blank and turning stock, both waxed