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P.N.G SASSAFRAS (Dryadodaphne novoguineensis)

Trade Name

P.N.G sassafras

Scientific Name

Dryadodaphne novoguineensis (Perkins) A.C. Smith

Family

LAURACEAE

Common Names

Gukai (West Irian); Gukai (Indonesia)

Scientific Name Synonyms

Isomerocarpa noveguineensis (Perkins) A. C Smith; Dryadodaphne celastroides S. Moore; Daphnanadra novoguineensis Perkins

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

It is an evergreen, small to very large trees up to 50 m tall. The bole is straight, up to 60 cm in diameter, often with buttresses or spurs.

Natural Habitat

This species prefers well drained sites in primary or old secondary forests, from 500 to 1,900 m of altitude.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Occasionally wood semi-ring porous and/or ring porous. Occasionally tangential diameter of vessel lumina 100 micras or less. Vessels per mm2 more than 20 (very abundant). Vessels per mm2 more than 20 (very abundant). Intervessel pits scalariform. Vessel-ray pi Axial parenchyma absent or extremely rare, non visible with magnifying glass (8x). Occasionally apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Occasionally 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. Occasionally rays less than 4 per mm (rare). Larger rays more than 4 seriate. Occasionally oil and/or mucilage cells associated with the axial and/or ray parenchyma (idioblasts). Occasionally body ray cells procumbent with mostly 2 to 4 rows of upright and/o Occasionally septate fibers present. Fibers with distinctly bordered pits.

Availability

Cites Status

Unrestricted

General Wood Description

Odor

The wood has aromatic or sometimes fetid odor.

Color

The heartwood is grayish-yellow-brown with greenish tinge. The sapwood is pale yellow to pale yellow-brown.

Natural Durability

It is reportedly moderately durable under cover.

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

3

Resistance To Impregnation

The heartwood is probably fairly permeable to pressure treatment.

Wood Physical Properties

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

0.49

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

0.53

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

8.4

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

3.9

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying: The timber usually air dries easily without much degradation if properly stacked. Air drying of boards of 25 mm thick takes about 2 months.

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

2.2

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

Workability

Rotary Veneer Cutting

It is used for plywood cores.

Sliced Veneer

It is used for plywood cores.

Turning

30

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

HOUSING GENERAL, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, cabinets, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, cores, TURNING, TOOLS, tool handles, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, moldings

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
Cores
  • 27 - Embassy of Brazil in Japan
Turning
  • 30 - Embassy of Honduras 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)
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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