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ALUMBI (Julbernardia seretii)

Trade Name

Alumbi

Scientific Name

Julbernardia seretii Troupin

Family

LEGUMINOSAE

Common Names

Mubangu (Zaire); Alumbi (Zaire); Ekop-zingana (Cameroon)

Scientific Name Synonyms

Seretoberlinia seretii (De Wild.) Duvign.; Julbernardia ogoouensis Pellegr.; Berlinia seretii De Wild.; Berlinia ledermannii Harms

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

The tree reaches a height of 40 m. The bole may be up to 16 m in length, is straight, slender and cylindrical. Buttresses may be small or up to 3.2 m high. The trunk diameter attains 100 to 120 cm.

Natural Habitat

Julbernardia seretii prefers dense formations, it is often found in small groups.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 150 to 200 micras (medium). Vestured pits. Vessels per mm2 less than 6 (rare). Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits similar to intervessel pits Axial parenchyma in marginal or in seemingly marginal bands. Axial parenchyma aliform. Prismatic crystals in chambered axial parenchyma cells and/or in fibers. 3 to 4 cells per parenchyma strand. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Rays non-storied. Rays commonly 2 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 yellow, it has a thickness of up to 30 cm. The heartwood is red-brown. dark or yellow stripes may be present, it is clearly demarcated.

Grain

It has highly interlocked grain; special care is needed when drying because of frequent risks of distortion.

Texture

This wood has a somewhat fine texture.

Luster

The wood is described as low in luster.

Natural Durability

Resistant to termites attack. The heartwood is sensible to Lyctus attacks.

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

4

Internal Growth Stresses

No growth stresses are reported in this species.

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)

0.66

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

0.74

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

8.0

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

4.5

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying: Drying is very slow and difficult to perform; defects are frequent. Drying Defects: Risks of checks. Kiln Schedules: The kiln schedule has been tested.

Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule

FR-12

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

1.8

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

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

1108

Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

184142

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

682

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

94

Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

66

Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)

672

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

762

Workability

Sawing

It is moderately easy to saw.

Rotary Veneer Cutting

Suitable for slicing.

Sliced Veneer

Suitable for slicing.

Blunting Effect

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

Machining

Possible difficulties caused by interlocked grain are reported.

Planing

Moderately easy; tools must be cautiously sharpened.

Moulding

Moderately easy; tools must be cautiously sharpened.

Turning

30

Boring

Moderately easy; tools must be cautiously sharpened.

Mortising

Moderately easy; tools must be cautiously sharpened.

Nailing

Pre-boring is necessary.

Gluing

Glues well if basic gluing technical rules are followed.

Sanding

Easy to perform; it gives good results.

Polishing

Can be polished without surface preparation.

Response To Hand Tools

No particular problems.

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

HOUSING GENERAL, beams, joists, boards, flooring, parquet, frames, panelling, fittings, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, luxury furniture, cabinets, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, Decorative veneer, TURNING, ornaments, turned furniture, cutlery, lasts, TOOLS, tool handles, agricultural tools, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, boat fins, boat deck, boat oars, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts

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
Flooring
  • 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Parquet
  • 15 - Empire Timbers
Frames
  • 16 - Woods of the World
Paneling
  • 18 - W3TROPICOS Missouri Botanical Garden
Fittings
  • 19 - Silica in Timbers
Furniture Cabinets
  • 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Furniture, Luxury
  • 22 - Dry kiln schedules for commercial woods. Temperate and tropical. Section IV-Asian and Oceanian Woods
Cabinet
  • 24 - Empire Timbers
Panels, Veneers
  • 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Decorative veneer
  • 28 - Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forest of Fiji
Turning
  • 30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan
Ornaments
  • 31 - Embassy of Colombia in Japan
Turned Articles
  • 32 - Embassy of Cote d`Ivoire in Japan
Knife Handles
  • 33 - Embassy of Gabon in Japan
Lasts
  • 34 - Embassy of Indonesia in Japan
Tools
  • 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Tool Handles
  • 43 - Maderas de Bolivia (Características y Usos de 55 Maderas Tropicales)
Agricultural Tools
  • 44 - Atlas of Peruvian Woods
Shipbuilding
  • 55 - Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
Boat Fins
  • 58 - Guía de Árboles de Bolivia
Boat Decking
  • 59 - Programa Nacional de uso Sostenible de los Bosques e Incremento a las Exportaciones.
Boat Oars
  • 60 - Amazonian Timbers, Characteristics and Utilization Volume II; Curuá-Una Experimental Forest Station
Handcraft
  • 66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)

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