Select Language:  

POPLAR GUM (Eucalyptus alba)

Trade Name

Poplar gum

Scientific Name

Eucalyptus alba Reinw. ex Blume

Family

MYRTACEAE

Common Names

Ampupu; Poplar gum (Australia); Gum (Papua New Guinea)

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree of up to 26 m tall. The bole is often of poor shape, up to 60 cm in diameter.

Natural Habitat

Eucalyptus alba is reported to develop within an altitudinal range from sea level to 500 m.

Natural Distribution

It occurs in tropical regions of northern Australia and in Papua New Guinea, Java, Timor and neighboring islands.

Non Timber Uses

The bark is reported to contain 30 to 32% of tannins.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Colored deposits in heartwood vessels. Tyloses common. Vestured pits. Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Vessel-ray pits reticulate and/or foraminate. Vascular/vasicentric tracheides present. Simple perforation Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma in narrow bands on lines up to 3 cells wide. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Rays more than 10 per mm (abundant). Homogeneous rays and/or sub-homogeneous rays (all ray cells procumbent). Fibers with distinctly bordered pits.

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

Availability

Cites Status

Unrestricted

General Wood Description

Odor

The wood is tasteless and odorless.

Color

The sapwood is white. The heartwood is reddish-brown.

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

3

Grain

The grain is deeply interlocked.

Texture

It is medium textured.

Natural Durability

It is reported to resist termites fairly well, particularly when bark is on.

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

2

Silica Content

Silica Content: It is non-siliceous. Silica Value: 0

Resistance To Impregnation

The heartwood is resistant to preservative treatment, but the sapwood is probably permeable.

Wood Physical Properties

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

0.83

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

0.95

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

8.1

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

5.1

Drying Defects

Drying Defects: It is reported that kiln drying of M. macroura boards resulted in no degrade at all.

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

1.6

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

Workability

Machining

It is reported to be rather difficult to work. Sharpen edges are required to prevent grain picking up.

Planing

Sharp edges are required to prevent picking up of grain.

Turning

30

Nailing

It needs pre-boring, but it has good nail-holding.

Gluing

The timber is reported to glue well.

Staining

Staining of this species is reportedly easy.

Coatings

It paints and varnishes well.

Response To Hand Tools

It is a strong wood, difficult to work with hand tools.

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

EXTERIOR GENERAL, poles, crossties, HOUSING GENERAL, flooring, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, TURNING, SPORTS, TOOLS, tool handles, agricultural tools, CONTAINERS, truck bodies, truck flooring, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts

Exterior General
  • 1 - Tabela de resultados de ensaios fisicos e mecanicos
Poles
  • 3 - Estudo dendrologico e determinacao das caracteristicas fisicas e mecanicas do genipapo (Genipa americana)
Crossties
  • 8 - Maderas latinoamericas. III, Podocarpus standleyi ,Podocarpus oleifolius, Drims granadensis, Magnolia poasana y Didymopanax pittieri
General Housing
  • 10 - Silica in Timbers
Flooring
  • 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Furniture Cabinets
  • 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
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
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
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

* Or, continue as guest