Bignoniaceae Family

Ipê should be avoided entirely!

The term ipê pertains to a group of seven tree species found in the forests of Central and South America. Imports into the US and EU are coming almost entirely from Brazil, with an increasing amount recently coming from Peru. Ipê has now become the top dimensional timber export out of Brazil.

Ipês are massive trees — emergents — growing to 150 feet, with a narrow trunk. The various species flower in different colors ranging from white to yellow to pink. Pau d’arco is an herb obtained from the leaves and bark of a few species of Tabebuia (Tabebuia serratifolia, Tabebuia impetiginosa and Tabebuia avellanedae for instance) and is a popular tonic sold around the world as tea, renowned to have powerful properties.

Ipê is used mostly for decking for boardwalks and home decks and waterfront contsruction (including marinas and docks) and for benches and railings. It’s also used in bridges and is imported as flooring .

The species with the hardest wood, called lapacho ipê (Tabebuia serratifolia) is exported from Bolivia but has been mostly logged out of Brazil.

For more information about ipê, see Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabebuia).