Til (Ocotea foetens)

A laurel tree, 15-30 meters tall, with leathery, ovate, lanceolate, or oblong leaves, hairy in the axils of the lower side veins; small flowers, usually hermaphroditic, gathered in clusters; the fruit partially surrounded by a cupule formed by the swollen base of the perianth. It is found in the forests of the interior and north of Madeira, and produces wood with well-defined heartwood and sapwood, the former white and the latter black. When recently cut, this wood has a strong and quite unpleasant smell, which only completely disappears after years. The wood of the til is of excellent quality and widely used for furniture and various other works. The 'white til' used by carpenters comes from young trees or from the sapwood of old trees.