ALASIIS (Aphananthe philippinensis)
Trade Name
Alasiis
Scientific Name
Aphananthe philippinensis Planch.
Family
ULMACEAE
Common Names
Tulipwood; Rough leaved hickory; Native elm; Mallban; Mail; Grey handlewood; Elm; Axe handle wood; Asbestos ash; Alasiis; Alaisiis (Philippines)
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
It is a small to medium-sized tree up to 30 m tall. The bole is up to 60 cm in diameter. It often presents buttresses up to 1 m high and spreading up to 2 m, or bole fluted at base.
Natural Habitat
It is often found in semideciduous gallery forests and eucalyptus forests.
Natural Distribution
It occurs in Queensland up to Innisfail in jungle-type coastal forests. It is also found in Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 100 micras or less (very small). Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits similar to intervessel pits in size and shape. Intervessel pits medium, 7 to 10 micras. Intervessel pi Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma aliform. Axial parenchyma confluent. Two cells per parenchyma strand. 3 to 4 cells per parenchyma strand. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. Axial parenchyma bands more than 3 cells wide 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Larger rays more than 4 seriate. Prismatic crystals in radial alignment in procumbent ray cells (chambered cells). Occasionally body ray cells procumbent with mostly 2 to 4 rows of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-II) Fibers very thick walled. Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits.
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Wood Macro Photo Tangential Plane
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Wood Micro Photo Of Transversal Section
Availability
Cites Status
Unrestricted
General Wood Description
Color
The sapwood is white, heartwood is creamy-white or faintly gray with a tinge of pale brown.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
5
Grain
The grain is usually straight, but Philippine stock is mainly cross-grained.
Texture
Fine to medium texture is reported in this species.
Natural Durability
It is durable for interior use, but slightly durable to non-durable when exposed to the weather or in contact with the ground. It is prone to termite and marine borer attack.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
6
Wood Physical Properties
Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)
0.59
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.65
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
7.2
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
4.6
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
1.6
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
996
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
485
Workability
Finishing
This species is reported to be difficult to finish.
Substitute Species
The wood resembles hickory.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
HOUSING GENERAL, boards, flooring, SPORTS, TOOLS, tool handles, CONTAINERS, truck bodies, truck flooring
General Housing
- 10 - Silica in Timbers
Boards
- 13 - Dry kiln schedules for commercial woods. Temperate and tropical. Section III. Latin American (Mexico, Central, and South America) Woods–Conventional Temperatures
Flooring
- 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Sports
- 38 - Annual Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation 1998-ITTO
Tools
- 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Tool Handles
- 43 - Maderas de Bolivia (Características y Usos de 55 Maderas Tropicales)
Truck Body
- 53 - Timbers of the New World
Truck Flooring
- 54 - Bulletin of the Government Forest Experiment Station N.157: Identification of Tropical Woods
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