Lignum vitae is the heartwood of species of the genus Guaiacum, the trees of which are also called guayacan.The name is Latin for "wood of life", and derives from its medicinal uses. Other names are palo santo, holy wood, greenheart, and of course ironwood (one of many). The wood is obtained chiefly from Guaiacum officinale and Guaiacum sanctum, both small, slow growing trees. This wood has a density between 1.28 and 1.37g per cu.cm., so it will sink in water. It is a hard, dense and durable wood, the most dense of any known wood. The wood was important for uses requiring strength, weight and hardness. Due to its weight, cricket bails, particularly 'heavy bails' used in windy conditions, are sometimes made of this wood. The wood also has seen widespread historical usage in mortars and pestles and for wood carvers' mallets. The heartwood is green in color leading t

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