Chakte Viga

(Guilandina platyloba)

Mexico

The growth range of the species is reported to include French Guiana, Guyana, and Surinam, but it occurs in very small quantities within its range in Panama and is classified as "vulnerable". Its status in the wild is currently reported to be unknown because of insufficient information in the Caribbean Islands, Cuba, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Chakte Viga is commonly referred to Paela.

The sapwood is yellowish to white and is clearly demarcated from the heartwood. The color of the heartwood is reported to vary. It is initially light salmon to reddish orange brown, or pale pink to rich red-brown, but ages to a fairly uniform reddish orange. The grain is usually straight but is sometimes interlocked.