External characteristics: The difference between the heartwood and sapwood is obvious, the sapwood is wide, pale yellow and white, and the heartwood is dark reddish brown, forming very slowly. The diameter at breast height is 50cm, the heartwood is only under 18cm, the diameter at breast height is 38cm, and the heartwood is only 2.5-10cm. The heartwood has irregular black spots and patterns, and the patterns are fickle, similar to snake patterns, hieroglyphs, and English letters. Therefore, it has the reputation of snake wood, letter wood and oracle bone wood, which is very decorative. Its unique dark pattern part is formed by resin, with strong luster, fine structure, straight texture, diffuse porosity, small diameter of the catheter, strong parenchyma, thin wood ray.

Processing characteristics: The wood is very heavy and high in strength, with an air-dry density of 1.20-1.36g/cm3, which can be called the highest density wood in the world. The heartwood is extremely corrosion-resistant, insect-resistant, has a smooth cut surface and good polishability. The average bending strength is 14599-21599 psi, the average compressive strength is 900kg/cm2, the radius shrinks by 6%, the tangential shrinkage is 9%, and the end face is easy to crack. Because the heartwood is heavy and hard, it is difficult to process and difficult to saw. The saw teeth must be strengthened and the cut surface is smooth. The polishability is excellent, and it is also very beautiful to polish and wax directly without painting, and the spinning products are excellent.

Distribution area: scattered in the primitive jungle near the Amazon River Basin in South America.