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IZOMBé (Testulea gabonensis)
Trade Name
Izombé
Scientific Name
Testulea gabonensis Pellegr.
Family
OCHNACEAE
Common Names
Zombé (Gabon); Ossakogha (Gabon); N'komi (Gabon); Mogongou (Gabon); Izombe (Gabon); N'gwaki (Congo); Rone (Cameroon); N`gwaki (Congo); Akewe (Gabon); N`komi N`komi (Gabon); Ake (Gabon); Izombe
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
The tree reaches a height of 40 m. The bole is cylindrical, straight and clear to 10 to 20 m in length, buttressed. The trunk diameter attains 100 to 130 cm.
Natural Habitat
Testulea gabonensis occurs in areas of primary forest and transitional formations. It is found in dense, mixed, equatorial forests. It is known or inferred that the harvesting of specimens from the wild for international trade has, or may have, a detrimen
Natural Distribution
West Africa, in Gabon, Republic of Congo and Cameroon.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 100 micras or less (very small). Vessels per mm2 more than 20 (very abundant). Simple perforation plates. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Non-crystals in axial parenchyma cells. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Rays non-storied. Rays 1 to 4 seriate. Prismatic crystals in radial alignment in procumbent ray cells (chambered cells). Prismatic crystals in the ray cells. Heterogeneous rays and/or multiseriate heterogeneous rays. Non-septate fibers. Fibers with distinctly bordered pits.
Availability
Cites Status
Unrestricted
General Wood Description
Color
The heartwood is pink yellow to orange yellow, it is not clearly demarcated. The silver figure is fine (barely visible).
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
5
Grain
Straight or slightly interlocked, sometimes with an influence on further processing operations.
Texture
This species is reported to have a fine to medium texture.
Luster
The surface of the wood is naturally low in luster.
Natural Durability
Durable to decay; this species can be utilized without preservative treatment for exterior joinery or similar uses. Resistant to termites attack. The heartwood is sensible to Lyctus attacks.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
1
Internal Growth Stresses
No growth stresses are reported in this species.
Silica Content
Silica Content: Negligible contents of silica are found in timber of this species. Amounts over 0.05% may affect the 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)
0.65
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.72
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
6.9
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
4.0
Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule
FR-8
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
1.7
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
1019
Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
133425
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
620
Compression perpendicular to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
83
Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
78
Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)
644
Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)
737
Workability
Sawing
It is moderately easy to saw.
Rotary Veneer Cutting
Suitable for slicing.
Sliced Veneer
Suitable for slicing.
Blunting Effect
Slight blunting effect; ordinary tools can be used for sawing and machining.
Machining
Machining of this species is reportedly easy.
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, boards, flooring, parquet, frames, steps, panelling, fittings, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, luxury furniture, cabinets, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, Decorative veneer, TURNING, ornaments, turned furniture, cutlery, lasts, CONTAINERS, truck bodies, truck flooring, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, boats, boat hulls, boat deck, port storage, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, moldings
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
Parquet
- 15 - Empire Timbers
Frames
- 16 - Woods of the World
Steps
- 17 - Tree Conservation Database
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
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
Boats
- 56 - Manual de Identificación de Especies Forestales de la Subregión Andina.
Boat Hulls
- 57 - Estadísticas de Aprovechamiento, Exportación y comercialización Nacional de Productos Forestales
Boat Decking
- 59 - Programa Nacional de uso Sostenible de los Bosques e Incremento a las Exportaciones.
Port Storage
- 62 - Estudio Tecnológico de Maderas del Perú (Zona Pucallpa) Vol I
Handcraft
- 66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)
Molding
- 79 - Padronização da Nomenclatura Comercial Brasileira das Madeiras Tropicais Amazônicas, Sugestão
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