Trade Names: Tigerwood, Goncalo Alves, Kingwood, Urunday, Zebrawood. Country of origin: South America Occurrence: The distribution of Goncalo Alves, which belongs to the Anacardiaceae family, ranges from Guyana and Colombia through Ecuador and Mexico to Peru and Honduras. Furthermore, this species can be found in El Salvador, Trinidad and Brazil. Uses: Because of its distinctly eye-catching light-dark contrast, Goncalo Alves lends itself perfectly to the production of decorative veneers. Its extravagant color combination, often reminiscent of the fur of a tiger, makes the wood of the genus Astronium fraxinifolium particularly interesting for the furniture industry and manufacturers of wall and ceiling coverings. Furthermore, products of this wood species are used for shipbuilding and for structures with particularly heavy loads in interior and exterior construction. Character: Goncalo Alves counts it among the particularly strong hardwood species. The wood is very decorative, reddish brown to purple and often mottled or veined with broad veins of dark brown to almost black. Special features: Goncalo Alves is light brown when freshly sawn. The black stripes and grain only really appear after drying. The black stripes give this wood its exotic name Tigerwood.