Louro faia

Roupala brasiliensis

Origin South America, Guiana, Brazil

Trade name

Louro faia

Main regions of origin

Character, description

This wood, with a reptile skin aspect, is used in decoration, because of its wide and high rays which confer a marked relief. Several woods have a similar appearance : The Silky Oak (cardwellia sublimis) of Australia, the Louro Faiera, of a deeper brown known in Guyana under the name of roupala montana. Louro Faia is pleasantly different, with its reptile skin texture. Along its surface, wide ray-lines create densely distributed lentil shapes which are sometimes wide or almond-shaped which stand out from the straight or entangled grain and the vein lines of the base texture of the wood. When light falls on this veneer, the wood looks extraordinarily striking in its brownish-yellow to brown hue.