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OHIA (Celtis gomphophylla)

Trade Name

Ohia

Scientific Name

Celtis gomphophylla Baker

Family

ULMACEAE

Common Names

Ohia (Nigeria); Esa pa (Ghana); Esa kokoo (Ghana); Esa fufu (Ghana); Esa (Ghana); Ba (Côte d`Ivoire); Asan (Côte d`Ivoire); African celtis (United Kingdom); Celtis (Germany); Luniumbu (Zaire); Kayombo (Zaire); Bolunde (Zaire); Odou (Cameroon); Namanuka (Uganda); Mukokukoma (Uganda); Shiunza (Kenya)

Scientific Name Synonyms

Celtis durandii Engl.

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

The tree is not tall, from 10 to 25 m. The bole is usually 6 to 12 m long, heavily buttressed. The trunk diameter attains 80 cm.

Natural Habitat

Celtis gomphophylla is a tree of the lower canopy or understorey, it prefers secondary forests.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 100 to 150 micras (small). Tyloses thin walled. Non-vestured pits. Vessels per mm2 10 to 20 (abundant). Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits sim Axial parenchyma confluent. Axial parenchyma in discontinuous tangential lines. Prismatic crystals in non-chambered 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. Body ray cells procumbent with mostly 2 to 4 rows of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-II). 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 white. The heartwood is yellowish white to pale yellow, greenish-brown veining near the core, it is not clearly demarcated.

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

7

Grain

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

Texture

The texture is typically fine to medium.

Natural Durability

Not durable; important risks of decay attacks at any processing step, from logs up to final products. It must receive preservative treatment. Sensible to termites attack. Heartwood is sensible to Lyctus attacks.

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

5

Resistance To Impregnation

Easy to treat with a full penetration of the preservative products using vacuum-pressure method.

Wood Physical Properties

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

0.67

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

0.75

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

8.9

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

5.0

Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule

FR-7

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

1.8

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

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

1661

Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

137565

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

601

Workability

Sawing

It is moderately easy to saw.

Rotary Veneer Cutting

Suitable for slicing, also suitable for peeling if treated.

Sliced Veneer

Suitable for slicing, also suitable for peeling if treated.

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

Easy; no particular problems.

Turning

30

Boring

Easy; no particular problems.

Mortising

Easy; no particular problems.

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.

Steam Bending

This species can be used for steam bending.

Response To Hand Tools

No particular problems.

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

EXTERIOR GENERAL, rails, crossarms, crossties, HOUSING GENERAL, beams, joists, boards, flooring, parquet, frames, steps, panelling, fittings, shutter boards, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, common furniture, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, faces, cores, common veneer, TURNING, ornaments, turned furniture, cutlery, lasts, PACKING, heavy packing, pallets, CONTAINERS, truck bodies, truck flooring, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, matches, moldings

Exterior General
  • 1 - Tabela de resultados de ensaios fisicos e mecanicos
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
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
Steps
  • 17 - Tree Conservation Database
Paneling
  • 18 - W3TROPICOS Missouri Botanical Garden
Fittings
  • 19 - Silica in Timbers
Shutter Boards
  • 20 - Prospect: The wood database
Furniture Cabinets
  • 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Furniture, Common
  • 23 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Panels, Veneers
  • 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Faces
  • 26 - Annual Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation 1998-ITTO
Cores
  • 27 - Embassy of Brazil in Japan
Common Veneer
  • 29 - Embassy of Ecuador in Japan
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
Packing
  • 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
Heavy Packing
  • 47 - Arvores Brasileiras
Pallets
  • 48 - The strength properties of timbers
Truck Body
  • 53 - Timbers of the New World
Truck Flooring
  • 54 - Bulletin of the Government Forest Experiment Station N.157: Identification of Tropical Woods
Handcraft
  • 66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)
Matches
  • 71 - Proprietes physiques et mecaniques des bois tropicaux, premier supplement
Molding
  • 79 - Padronização da Nomenclatura Comercial Brasileira das Madeiras Tropicais Amazônicas, Sugestão

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