Red Louro

Family: Lauraceae - Order: Laurales - Class: Magnoliopsida 

Scientific name: Ocotea / Nectandra  rubra

Trade name: Red louro, louro Vermelho, Wane.

Also known as Determa, Grignon rouge, Louro vermelho, Red louro, Wana, Wane

Origin: Central America and Latin America

Instrumental uses:
Guitar back and sides, Fingerboards, bridges, head plates and bindings.

Tonal properties:

A very good alternative to mahoganies but much stiffer with very good basses, mostly a flat midrange and bright high frequencies and an extraordinary note definition and clarity.

Has a dense woody, nice, punch. As Classical Guitar back and sides it fits well with cedar and red cedar tops as is a very punchy and slightly bright wood.

Used as fingerboards it has a very good loud sound but also a very well balanced tonal transmission.

The grain is either straight or interlocked. The texture is coarse and uniform, is very easy  to work; glues and finishes well.

Is a medium heavy wood but is stiff and very resistant with an average dried weight nearly 660  kg/m3. 

It is native from Central America and Latin America. The trees are without buttresses but are usually basally swollen and are frequently 27m to 30m tall with a diameter of 0.6m to 1m, although much larger trees are occasionally found.

The heartwood is deep salmon red when freshly cut, becoming a light reddish-brown when dried, resembling Honduras mahogany. The sapwood is creamy grey and clearly defined. CITES status is unrestricted. Is not reported on the IUCN Red List.