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VITEX (Vitex cofassus)
Trade Name
Vitex
Scientific Name
Vitex cofassus
Family
VERBENACEAE
Common Names
Leban; Gupasa (Indonesia); Katonding (Indonesia); Gofasa (Indonesia); Biti (Indonesia); Awola (Indonesia); Nanasa (Indonesia); Tompira (Indonesia); Wola (Indonesia); Fafa (Indonesia)
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
It is a medium-sized to fairly large tree, up to 40 m tall, with boles up to 130 cm in diameter, deeply fluted.
Natural Habitat
It is widely distributed in the Pacific Islands, abundant in moist lowland areas.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally wood semi-ring porous and/or ring porous. Occasionally vessels with colored deposits. Tyloses common. Vessels per mm2 more than 20 (very abundant). Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits coarse throughout the ray cell. Inter Occasionally axial parenchyma in marginal or in seemingly marginal bands. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. Occasionally axial parenc 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Ray height more than 1 mm. Larger rays more than 4 seriate. Prismatic crystals in the ray cells. Homogeneous rays and/or sub-homogeneous rays (all ray cells procumbent). Septate fibers present. Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits.
Availability
Cites Status
Unrestricted
General Wood Description
Odor
Freshly-cut timber has leathery scent.
Color
The sapwood is not sharply demarcated, slightly paler than the gray, olive, yellow-brown or deep brown heartwood.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
5
Grain
The grain is straight, rarely spiral.
Texture
Fine texture is reported in this species.
Natural Durability
It is moderately resistant to termite and marine borer attack.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
4
Silica Content
Silica Content: It is non-siliceous. Silica Value: 0
Resistance To Impregnation
The sapwood is permeable to moderately permeable to impregnation, the heartwood is untreatable.
Wood Physical Properties
Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)
0.70
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.79
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
8.0
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
4.2
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
1.9
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
1151
Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
130458
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
641
Compression perpendicular to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
112
Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
119
Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)
570
Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)
626
Workability
Sawing
Sawmilling of this species is reportedly easy.
Rotary Veneer Cutting
This species is not suitable for slicing because of discoloration and the difficulties in cutting the timber. Additionally, the logs are often fluted.
Sliced Veneer
This species is not suitable for slicing because of discoloration and the difficulties in cutting the timber. Additionally, the logs are often fluted.
Machining
Machining operations are rather easy.
Planing
Planing is reported to be easy.
Turning
30
Nailing
Vitex timber needs pre-boring, but the nail holding properties are good.
Finishing
Wood of this species is easy to finish.
Polishing
Polishing of this species is reportedly easy.
Steam Bending
Steam bending of this species is reportedly easy.
Response To Hand Tools
It is easy to work with hand tools.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
EXTERIOR GENERAL, poles, paling, stakes posts, rails, crossties, HOUSING GENERAL, flooring, frames, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, cabinets, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, TURNING, cutlery, TOOLS, agricultural tools, CONTAINERS, truck bodies, truck flooring, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, yoke, wheel
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)
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
Rails
- 6 - Physical and mechanical properties of Eucalyptus deglupta Blume grown in Costa Rica
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
Frames
- 16 - Woods of the World
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
Turning
- 30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan
Knife Handles
- 33 - Embassy of Gabon in Japan
Tools
- 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
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.)
Yokes
- 74 - World Timbers, Vol.2, North and South America
Wheels
- 75 - Tropenholzer
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