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TEMBESU (Fagraea fragrans)

Trade Name

Tembesu

Scientific Name

Fagraea fragrans Roxb.

Family

LOGANIACEAE

Common Names

Uling; Temesu; Tembusu luar; Tembesoe renah; Tembesoe rawang; Tembesoe paja; Sysulin; Perepat hutan; Meriang; Lemesu; Dulo; Burman yellowheart; Burma yellow heart (Myanmar); Man pa (Laos); Tatraou (Cambodia); Ahnyim (Myanmar); Anan (Myanmar); Dolo (Philippines); Tembusu hutan (Malaysia); Susulin (Philippines); Ambinaton (Indonesia); Kayu tammusu (Indonesia); Ki badak (Indonesia); Ironwood (United Kingdom); Ironwood (United States of America); Urung (Philippines); Tembesu talang (Indonesia); Tembusu padang (Malaysia); Tam sao (Vietnam); Trai (Cambodia); Kankrao (Thailand); Man pla (Thailand); Thamsao (Thailand); Kan krao (Thailand); Tembusu (Malaysia); Meraing (Malaysia); Reriang (Malaysia); Tembusu hutan (Sarawak); Tembusu padang (Sarawak); Tembusu padang (Brunei Darussalam); Keramati (Solomon Islands); Burma yellowheart (Myanmar); Trai (Vietnam); Tam sao (Thailand); Tembesu (Indonesia); Temasuk (Sabah); Tatrau (Cambodia)

Scientific Name Synonyms

Fagraea wallichiana Benth.; Fagraea sororia J.J. Smith; Fagraea gigantea Ridley; Fagraea cochinchinensis A. Chev.

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

It is a medium-sized or occasionally large tree up to 25 m tall. The bole up to 135 cm in diameter, occasionally fluted or with buttresses up to 2.5 m high.

Natural Habitat

Fagraea fragrans is reported in light primary or secondary forests in humid or seasonally inundated locations. It also occurs as a pioneer in burnt over areas.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally vessels in diagonal and/or radial pattern. Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Helical thickenings in vessel elements present. Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits similar to intervessel pits in size and shape. Intervessel pits smal Axial parenchyma in marginal or in seemingly marginal bands. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma confluent. Two cells per parenchyma strand. 3 to 4 cells per parenchyma strand. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Occasionally larger rays more than 4 seriate. Homogeneous rays and/or sub-homogeneous rays (all ray cells procumbent). Occasionally body ray cells procumbent with one row of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-III). 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

It has a slightly unpleasant odor when freshly cut, odor disappears on drying.

Color

The sapwood is not sharply differentiated, just lighter pale yellowish white. The heartwood is light yellowish brown darkening on exposure to deep golden orange brown, occasionally with lighter or darker veining.

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

5

Grain

It is partly straight or occasionally wavy to slightly interlocked.

Texture

The texture varies from fine to medium.

Luster

The heartwood is lustrous when planed.

Natural Durability

It is very durable and fairly resistant to teredos.

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

1

Silica Content

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

Resistance To Impregnation

The sapwood is reported to be easy to preserve but the heartwood is untreatable.

Wood Physical Properties

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

0.69

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

0.78

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

6.6

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

3.4

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying: It is reported that quarter-sawn stock dried satisfactory. Drying Defects: Back-sawn stock is subject to checking and severe warping.

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

1.9

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

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

949

Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

138355

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

565

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

82

Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

97

Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)

587

Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)

555

Workability

Sawing

Sawing of this species is easy.

Rotary Veneer Cutting

This species is reported to be interesting for lamination.

Sliced Veneer

This species is reported to be interesting for lamination.

Machining

It is easy to machine.

Moulding

Molding is reported to be easy.

Turning

30

Boring

This species is easy to bore.

Mortising

It is easy to mortise.

Nailing

Pre-bore for nails and screws.

Gluing

The timber is reported to glue well.

Sanding

It has a good sanding behavior.

Finishing

Wood of this species is easy to finish.

Polishing

Polishing of this wood is easy.

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

EXTERIOR GENERAL, bridges, poles, paling, stakes posts, crossties, HOUSING GENERAL, flooring, panelling, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, cabinets, TURNING, cutlery, SPORTS, TOOLS, tool handles, agricultural tools, PACKING, CONTAINERS, cooperage, truck bodies, truck flooring, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, boats, port pillar, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, coffin

Exterior General
  • 1 - Tabela de resultados de ensaios fisicos e mecanicos
Bridges
  • 2 - 25 madeiras da amazonia de valor comercial, caracterizacao, macroscopica, usos comuns e indices qualificativos
Poles
  • 3 - Estudo dendrologico e determinacao das caracteristicas fisicas e mecanicas do genipapo (Genipa americana)
Paling Fence Pickets
  • 4 - Estudo dendrologico e determinacao das caracteristicas fisicas e mecanicas da bicuiba
Stake Posts
  • 5 - Propriedades fisicas e mecanicas da madeira e do contraplacado de Pinus elliottii
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
Paneling
  • 18 - W3TROPICOS Missouri Botanical Garden
Furniture Cabinets
  • 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Cabinet
  • 24 - Empire Timbers
Turning
  • 30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan
Knife Handles
  • 33 - Embassy of Gabon 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
Packing
  • 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
Containers
  • 50 - Properties of imported tropical woods
Cooperage
  • 51 - Recopilacion de propiedades mecanicas de maderas creciendo en Chile
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.
Port Pillar
  • 61 - Manual de Diseño para Maderas del Grupo Andino
Handcraft
  • 66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)
Coffin
  • 78 - Amazonian Timbers for the International Market

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