Schinopsis lorentzii is a hardwood tree

Tree

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...

, native of the Paraguayan subtropical area, which forms forests in Gran Chaco

Gran Chaco

The Gran Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region...

 region of Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, in Paraguay

Paraguay

Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

, and Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

. Some of its common names are coronillo, quebracho Cornillo (Brazil), quebracho chaqueño, quebracho colorado santiagueño, quebracho macho, and quebracho bolí. The qualification colorado ("red") differentiates it from other species of common quebracho tree

Quebracho tree

Quebracho is a common name in Spanish to describe very hard wood tree species. The etymology of the name derived from quiebrahacha, or quebrar hacha, meaning "axe-breaker".-Species:...

, the Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco

Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco

Quebracho blanco is a South American tree species, which is found in the northern regions of Argentina. It must not be confused with other species also known as quebracho, but belonging to the genus Schinopsis.-Growth:Quebracho blanco wood is uniformly yellow-ochre, without differences between...

(quebracho blanco, "white quebracho", family Apocynaceae

Apocynaceae

The Apocynaceae or dogbane family is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas.Many species are tall trees found in tropical rainforests, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some grow in tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also perennial herbs...

). The indication santiagueño (from Santiago del Estero

Santiago del Estero Province

Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.-History:...

) is made to distinguish it from quebracho colorado chaqueño, a closely related species (Schinopsis balansae

Schinopsis balansae

Schinopsis balansae is a hardwood tree which forms forests in the subtropical Gran Chaco ecoregion of north-eastern Argentina, and Paraguay. It is also found in the wild Pantanal vegetation in Brazil. Some of its common names are quebracho colorado chaqueño and quebracho santafesino...

).

This tree is commercially very important due to its extremely hard and durable wood, and because of its tannin

Tannin

A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...

. The tanning

Tanning

Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...

industry has been exploiting quebracho forests for more than 100 years.