Ipe, also known as Lapacho or Brazilian Walnut, is a hardwood commonly used for decking, exterior cladding, and other applications where water-resistance is crucial.
It is hard, difficult to work, weathers well into a silver-gray, and is dense (may sink or float when submerged in water.)
Ipe is not to be confused with Cumaru, which is another lighter South American hardwood used in similar applications.
Ipe refers to 30 different species of flowering hardwood trees (and a few shrubs) in the genus Handroanthus, in the family Bignoniaceae.
The word “Ipe” comes from the Portuguese term for one of its species, ipê-amarelo-da-serra.
The Ipe tree is also the national plant and flower of Brazil.
