It is a great mistake to suppose that holy wood, and guayacàn are the
same; for though the wood of both possess the same power of healing
almost any disease, yet the two trees differ as much in form as in name:
for the guayacàn is loftier than the other, and almost resembles a
nut-tree. It abounds in boughs, and bears small hard leaves. The flowers
are yellow and produce fruit full of seeds. The blacker the pith of the
tree is the more it abounds in rosin. The bark of this tree is hard,
resinous, and composed of several little skins, spotted with grey on the
outside, but within of a pale red: it has a bitter taste, but not an
unpleasant smell, and is thought to be more efficacious in medicine than
the wood itself.