> BOTANICAL NAMES
Liquidambar styraciflua.
It belongs to the family of Hamamelidaceae.

> TRADE NAMES 
Noce satin, nocino d’America – Italy
American rea gum (heartwood), American sap gum (sapwood) – Great Britain 
Copalme, gommier d’Amérique – France

> GROWTH AREA 
It mainly grows in the south east of America, as well as all over the Mexico and central America.

> TECHNOLOGICAL FEATURES
The sapwood, also trades with the name of sapgum or hazelpine, is wide and whitish and is clearly distinguished from the heartwood which is brown or dark-red, with some darker streaks. The heartwood looks like walnut, and for this reason sometimes it can be wrongly traded in the place of it. It has a fine texture and a silky appearance, and sometimes it presents an irregular structure.

> SPECIFIC WEIGHT 
Seasoned on the open air, it has a specific weight of 550 Kg/m3.

> DRYING METHOD
It has a natural tendency for splitting and warping and so it must be dried very slowly.

> MAIN USES AND WORKING 
It can be widely use since it is easily mechanical workable. It is very required from the furniture industry thanks to its valuable veneering. As solid wood, it is used to make cheaper furniture, packing and different boxes, but also many polished objects.