Guaiacum uses, including as lumber, for medicinal purposes, and as ornamentals. The trade of all species of "Guaiacum" is controlled under CITES Appendix II. "Guaiacum officinale" is the national flower of Jamaica, while "Guaiacum sanctum" is the national tree of the Bahamas. The genus is famous as the supplier of lignum vitae, which is the heartwood of several species in the genus. It is the fourth-hardest variety of wood as measured by the Janka hardness test, requiring a force of to embed a steel ball in diameter half that distance into the wood. The Spanish encountered guaiacum wood when they conquered
Ahmed Janka Nabay and 2010. In June 2010, he formed a full band, Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang, with members of four Brooklyn indie rock groups Skeletons, Gang Gang Dance, and Starring. In 2012, Janka's band announced that they had signed a three-album record deal with David Byrne's record label, Luaka Bop. Janka Nabay was of Mandingo and Temne descent, two of the ethnic groups within Sierra Leone. It was reported on April 2, 2018 that Janka Nabay had died. Causes of his death remain yet unknown. He was 54 years old. "Ahmed Janka Nabay, the Sierra Leonian musician renowned for pioneering