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ALEP (Desbordesia glaucescens)

Trade Name

Alep

Scientific Name

Desbordesia glaucescens Van Tiegh.

Family

IRVINGIACEAE

Common Names

Banga (Zaire); Alep (Gabon); Banga (Congo); Omang (Cameroon); Teva; Oteva; Omang; Oman; Kawo; Bwiba njoc; Banga; Aloi; Alo; Alep

Scientific Name Synonyms

Irvingia glaucescens Engl.; Desbordesia soyauxii van Tiegh.; Desbordesia pierreana van Tiegh.

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

The tree reaches a height of 46 m, with diameters up to 100 to 170 cm. The bole is straight, clear, cylindrical, up to 23 m in height. As the tree grows older, the small but well developed buttresses hold the tree upright.

Natural Habitat

Desbordesia glaucescens occurs in alluvial areas, in dense evergreen forest and in transitional formations.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 200 micras or more (large). Non-vestured pits. Vessels per mm2 less than 6 (rare). Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits larger than the interve Axial parenchyma in continuous tangential lines or fine bands. Prismatic crystals in short chains in chambered axial parenchyma cells. Over 9 cells per parenchyma strand. Axial parenchyma bands more than 3 cells wide. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Rays non-storied. Rays 1 to 4 seriate. Body ray cells procumbent with one row of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-III). Non-septate fibers. Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits.

  • Wood Macro Photo Tangential Plane
  • Wood Micro Photo Of Transversal Section

Availability

Cites Status

Unrestricted

General Wood Description

Color

The sapwood is yellowish to pale brown . The heartwood is pale brown with some dark veins, it is not clearly demarcated.

Grain

Straight or sometimes interlocked. Usually interlocked grain is absent or very slight, without any effect on further processing operations.

Texture

The wood is frequently reported to be fine textured.

Luster

The wood is described as low in luster.

Natural Durability

Very durable to decay; without preservative treatment. This species is especially suited for all the uses with risks of permanent or long-lasting humidification. Resistant to termites attack. Heartwood is resistant to Lyctus attacks.

Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)

1

Internal Growth Stresses

For this species no growth stresses are reported.

Silica Content

Silica Content: Negligible content of silica is reported. Amounts over 0.05% may affect wood processing. Silica Value: 0.01

Resistance To Impregnation

Difficult to treat with only a low penetration of the preservative products.

Wood Physical Properties

Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)

0.90

Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)

1.05

Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

10.9

Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

6.8

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying: Drying is rather slow and sometimes difficult to perform. Drying Defects: Risks of casehardening and checks Kiln Schedules: The kiln schedule has been tested.

Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule

FR-11

Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)

1.6

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)

1596

Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

238390

Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

817

Compression perpendicular to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

119

Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

145

Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)

1383

Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)

1353

Workability

Sawing

Sawing of this species requires powerful equipment.

Rotary Veneer Cutting

Not suitable for veneering.

Sliced Veneer

Not suitable for veneering.

Blunting Effect

Moderate blunting effect; stellited blades for sawing and carbide tools for machining are advised.

Machining

It needs powerful tools for processing. Possible difficulties caused by interlocked grain are reported.

Planing

Rather difficult; special tools are needed.

Moulding

Rather difficult; special tools are needed.

Boring

Rather difficult; special tools are needed.

Mortising

Rather difficult; special tools are needed.

Nailing

Pre-boring is necessary.

Gluing

Difficult to glue because of high density.

Sanding

Easy to perform; it gives good results.

Polishing

Can be polished without surface preparation.

Response To Hand Tools

Working with hand tools is difficult.

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

EXTERIOR GENERAL, bridges, poles, rails, crossarms, crossties, piers, HOUSING GENERAL, beams, joists, boards, frames, CONTAINERS, truck bodies, truck flooring

Exterior General
  • 1 - Tabela de resultados de ensaios fisicos e mecanicos
Bridges
  • 2 - 25 madeiras da amazonia de valor comercial, caracterizacao, macroscopica, usos comuns e indices qualificativos
Poles
  • 3 - Estudo dendrologico e determinacao das caracteristicas fisicas e mecanicas do genipapo (Genipa americana)
Rails
  • 6 - Physical and mechanical properties of Eucalyptus deglupta Blume grown in Costa Rica
Crossheads Crossarms
  • 7 - Maderas latinoamericanas. II, Quercus alata Q. costaricensis y Q. eugeniaefolia
Crossties
  • 8 - Maderas latinoamericas. III, Podocarpus standleyi ,Podocarpus oleifolius, Drims granadensis, Magnolia poasana y Didymopanax pittieri
Piers
  • 9 - Maderas latinoamericanas. IV, Nectandra sp. Ocotea austinii, Persea sp. aff. vesticula, Persea schiedeana
General Housing
  • 10 - Silica in Timbers
Beams
  • 11 - Prospect: The wood database
Joists
  • 12 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part I-Tropical American Species
Boards
  • 13 - Dry kiln schedules for commercial woods. Temperate and tropical. Section III. Latin American (Mexico, Central, and South America) Woods–Conventional Temperatures
Frames
  • 16 - Woods of the World
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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