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GIA (Homalium foetidum)

Trade Name

Gia

Scientific Name

Homalium foetidum

Family

Flacourtiaceae

Common Names

Keruing renkas (Malaysia); Yagau (Philippines); Kamagahai (Philippines); Malas (Papua New Guinea); Petaling padang (Malaysia); Bansisian (Sabah); Momala (Indonesia); Melmas (Indonesia); Ternate ironwood (United States of America); Ternate ironwood (United Kingdom); Aranga (Philippines); Adanga (Philippines); Matobato (Philippines); Gia (Indonesia); Burma lancewood (Myanmar); Aranga (United Kingdom); Selimbar (Malaysia); Takaliu (Sabah); Delinse (Malaysia); Miya (Indonesia)

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

It is a medium-sized to large or sometimes very large tree up to 45 m tall. The bole is straight, branchless for up to 30 m, up to 100 cm in diameter, with steep buttresses up to 2 m high.

Natural Habitat

This species is found in primary and secondary forests, usually on moist soils in seasonal swamp forests, and along rivers and streams.

Natural Distribution

It is distributed in Malaysia and Melanesia (New Ireland and New Britain.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Simple perforation plates. Vessels per mm2 more than 20 (very abundant). Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits similar to intervessel pits in size and shape. Intervessel pits small, 7 micras or less. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Rays more than 10 per mm (abundant). Ray height more than 1 mm. Larger rays more than 4 seriate. Body ray cells procumbent with over 4 rows of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-I). Septate fibers present. Fibers with distinctly bordered pits.

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

Availability

Cites Status

Unrestricted

General Wood Description

Odor

It has an iodine-like smell.

Color

The sapwood is not clearly demarcated, it varies from yellowish orange-brown to pale red-brown. The heartwood is brown to red-brown with some dark stripes.

COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)

5

Grain

It is straight, occasionally interlocked.

Texture

The texture is very fine with fine pores, very uniform.

Natural Durability

It is durable, but quickly affected by blue stain. Heartwood is reportedly resistant to teredos.

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

1

Silica Content

Silica Content: Silica is absent. Silica Value: 0

Resistance To Impregnation

In most cases the sapwood is permeable, while the heartwood is resistant to moderately resistant to impregnation.

Wood Physical Properties

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

0.78

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

0.89

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

9.2

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

4.9

Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule

US-11-12

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

1.9

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

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

1464

Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

180822

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

750

Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

138

Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)

875

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

682

Workability

Sawing

Sawing operations are rated as easy to fair due to the wood density.

Rotary Veneer Cutting

This species is reported to have good characteristics for lamination.

Sliced Veneer

This species is reported to have good characteristics for lamination.

Blunting Effect

It has a slight blunting effect on the cutting tools.

Machining

It is easy to machine.

Planing

Planing of this species is reported to be easy, with slight picking up on the radial faces.

Turning

30

Nailing

Pre-boring is needed.

Gluing

It has a good behavior in gluing.

Sanding

This species is reported to be easy to sand.

Finishing

It has a good finishing.

Polishing

Wood of this species is easy to polish.

Steam Bending

This species is reported to be suitable for bending.

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

EXTERIOR GENERAL, bridges, crossties, HOUSING GENERAL, beams, flooring, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, common furniture, TURNING, SPORTS, TOOLS, tool handles, agricultural tools, PACKING, CONTAINERS, truck bodies, truck flooring, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, port pillar, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, axle

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
Crossties
  • 8 - Maderas latinoamericas. III, Podocarpus standleyi ,Podocarpus oleifolius, Drims granadensis, Magnolia poasana y Didymopanax pittieri
General Housing
  • 10 - Silica in Timbers
Beams
  • 11 - Prospect: The wood database
Flooring
  • 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Furniture Cabinets
  • 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Furniture, Common
  • 23 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Turning
  • 30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan
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)
Agricultural Tools
  • 44 - Atlas of Peruvian Woods
Packing
  • 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
Truck Body
  • 53 - Timbers of the New World
Truck Flooring
  • 54 - Bulletin of the Government Forest Experiment Station N.157: Identification of Tropical Woods
Shipbuilding
  • 55 - Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
Port Pillar
  • 61 - Manual de Diseño para Maderas del Grupo Andino
Axles
  • 73 - Handbook of Hardwoods

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