MEDANG (Alseodaphne insignis)
Trade Name
Medang
Scientific Name
Alseodaphne insignis Gamble
Family
LAURACEAE
Common Names
Medang tandok (Malaysia); Medang burung (Indonesia); Medang tanah (Malaysia); Medang payong (Malaysia); Medang
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
It is an evergreen or briefly deciduous, small to medium-sized tree up to 30 m tall. The bole is usually fairly straight, branchless for up to 21 m, up to 60 cm in diameter, sometimes with small or rarely up to 3 m high buttresses.
Natural Distribution
It is distributed along peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.
Non Timber Uses
The sawdust from the wood close to the bark contains fibers that irritate the skin.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally vessels in radial multiples of 4 or more common. Tyloses common. Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Vessel-ray pits reticulate and/or foraminate. Occasionally helical thickenings in vessel elements present. Simple perforation plates. Occa Axial parenchyma in marginal or in seemingly marginal bands. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Occasionally paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. 3 to 4 cells per parenchyma strand. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Occasionally larger rays more than 4 seriate. Occasionally oil and/or mucilage cells associated with the axial and/or ray parenchyma (idioblasts). Body ray cells procumbent with mostly 2 to 4 rows of upright and/or square margin Septate fibers present. 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
Odor
The wood has camphor-like smell when freshly cut.
Color
The heartwood is pale gray-green to gray-green, moderately differentiated from the pale yellow-green sapwood, darkening to brown with a green tinge on exposure.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
2
Grain
The grain is straight to moderately interlocked.
Texture
The texture is moderately fine.
Natural Durability
Alseodaphne is reportedly moderately durable.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
3
Resistance To Impregnation
Impregnation of the sapwood is easy, but the heartwood is reportedly difficult to preserve.
Wood Physical Properties
Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)
0.62
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.69
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
8.1
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
4.0
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying: Drying is reported to be rapid without significant defects. Drying Defects: Cupping is reported when drying thin boards. Kiln Schedules: Durian wood is generally easy and rapid to kiln dry. It is recommended to air dry the timber for at least 2 weeks before kiln drying.
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
2.0
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
408
Compression perpendicular to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
41
Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
97
Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)
316
Workability
Sawing
Wood of this species is easy to cut.
Planing
The wood is easy to plane with only very slight picking up.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
HOUSING GENERAL, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, cabinets, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, TOOLS, agricultural tools, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts
General Housing
- 10 - Silica in Timbers
Furniture Cabinets
- 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Cabinet
- 24 - Empire Timbers
Panels, Veneers
- 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Tools
- 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Agricultural Tools
- 44 - Atlas of Peruvian Woods
Shipbuilding
- 55 - Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
Handcraft
- 66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)
Please Provide Information To View Producer Information