“On the Trees that are Used for Wood”

From oxygen production to precious active principles used in medicine, from food to wood, trees have always provided important resources for all the animals on Earth.

The discovery of a new land or a new territory meant access to new species and to a new knowledge mainly learnt from uses and traditions of local populations.

The Portuguese Jesuit Fr. Fernão Cardim (1540–1625) witnessed the luxurious natural environment of Brazil in the 16th century and left us detailed descriptions in his “On the climate and land of Brazil and on some remarkable things that can be found on land as well as at sea”, written around 1584 (Do clima e terra do Brasil e de algumas cousas notaveis que se achão assi na terra como no mar).

In a short paragraph of this text, Fr. Fernão lists a variety of uses known for wood. The first aspect he highlights is the presence of “trees of remarkable thickness” that were used to build canoes and planks of timber for engines. “There are many varieties of timber,” he says, “that don’t rot when placed in the ground, and others that become greener and tougher every time they are put in water.” Then he mentions the “Pau Santo”, “Pau do Brasil” and other kinds of wood that were highly appreciated to produce furniture and dyes. Some trees were so common and strong enough to be used for shipbuilding, while others could release wonderful fragrances. Finally, spices could be found there that, although “not as delicate and smelly as those from India, are little far and are of great price and esteem.”

Page of the manuscript “On the trees that are used for wood”

The editorial history of this Portuguese text, like others of its kind, is symptomatic of a more general problem in accessing knowledge. Leaving Salvador de Bahía in 1601, Fernão Cardim, who carried with him his well-informed and fresh Brazilian report, was captured by the English pirate Francis Cook. Through this channel, for the first time, the narrative of Cardim became available to the European audience. The English version of the manuscript, presented as sold by Francis Cook to Richard Hakluyt, was published in the travel collection Purchas his Pilgrimes (London, 1625) and only three centuries later deserved an edition in its original language (Rio de Janeiro, 1925). [Silvana Munzi & Luana Giurgevich]

Paubrasilia echinate – Pau do Brasil