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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Carving Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Natural Growth Defects Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Identification Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Cordia platythyrsa Trade Name West African cordia Family Name Boraginaceae Common Names Ebe, Omo, West African cordia Regions of Distribution Africa Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, Zaire Common Uses Boat building, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Core Stock, Decorative veneer, Furniture , Furniture, Interior construction, Joinery, Paneling , Sounding boards Environmental Profile Status unknown in many of its growth areas Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center Distribution Overview Cameroon, Ghana, Côte.d'ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone, in the dense forests and in the old secondary vegetable formations. It is a pioneer species. The trees of bigger size belonging to this species (by considerant C millenii and C platythyrsa together) prefer the intact and well drained places, while the smaller trees frequently grow in disturbed forests. Heartwood Color White Brown Red Pink Tan Yellow to golden-yellow to orange Pale brown Brown Golden brown Golden brown with a reddish cast Dark brown Contains dark streaks Sapwood Color Brown Red White Pink Tan Paler than heartwood Grain Figure Interlocked Stripe (figure) Rays (figure) Mottle Striped figure Interlocked Rays figure Mottled or streaked figure sometimes Interlocked Grain is irregular in direction and is often interlocked. Medium sized rays combine with interlocked grain to produce an attractive striped and mottled ray figure on quarter sawn surfaces. Texture Medium Coarse Medium Luster Medium Low Lustrous Natural Growth Defects Brittleheart is often frequent and extensive Natural Durability Perishable Non-durable Moderately durable Durable Natural resistance to decay varies from high in the outer heartwood to medium or low in the inner heartwood. Inner heartwood is less dense and less durable because of the prevalence of brittleheart. Odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules Drying (speed) is fast UK=K US=T13C4S/T11D3S T12 - C4S(4/4) US T11 - D3S (8/4) US Schedule K (4/4) United Kingdom Drying Defects Slight twist/warp Water pockets Slight spring/bow Ease of Drying Rapidly Reconditioning Treatement Fairly Easy Easy Dries rapidly Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries quickly Tree Identification Bole/stem form is cylindrical Bole/stem form is buttressed Tree Size Tree height is 20-30 m Tree height is 30-40 m Comments General finishing qualities are rated as good Blunting Effect Slight Blunting effect on machining is slight Boring Fair to good results Easy Requires strong hold to prevent chipping of exit holes Carving Fairly Easy to Very Easy Cutting Resistance Cutting resistance with dry wood is moderate Cross-Cutting may cause bottom of cut to break out, and narrow band-sawing is rated as satisfactory Gluing Glues well Mortising Fairly Easy to Very Easy Worked surfaces tend to be woolly Sharp cutting edges are essential Moulding Satisfactory moulding results Movement in Service Stable Small Nailing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Holds satisfactorily Good nailing properties Planing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Sharp cutting edges recommended Reduction of cutting angle recommended Easy to plane Ease of planing is moderate Areas of interlocked grain may cause tearing Resistance to Impregnation Permeable heartwood Permeable sapwood Heartwood is resistant Heartwood is highly resistant Response to Hand Tools Easy to Work Responds Readily Easy to machine Routing & Recessing Fair to Good Results Satisfactory routing results Sanding Fair to Good Results Screwing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Good screwing properties Turning Fairly Easy to Very Easy Finish is generally satisfactory Difficult to achieve clean surfaces against the grain Veneering Qualities Suitable for peeling Steam Bending Very poor Polishing Satisfactory results Requires a filler Staining Stains well after surface treatment Strength Properties Bending strength (MOR) = low Density (dry weight) = 23-30 lbs/cu. ft. Shrinkage, Tangential = very small Shrinkage, Radial = small Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = very low Max. crushing strength = medium Hardness (side grain) = very soft Resistance to shock loads is very low Max. crushing strength = low Density = low Compression strength (parallel to grain) = medium Bending strength (MOR) = medium Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 7149 10007 psi Density 25 lbs/ft3 Hardness 457 lbs Maximum Crushing Strength 3525 5338 psi Stiffness 989 1146 1000 psi Specific Gravity 0.39 Weight 25 21 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 4 % Volumetric Shrinkage 8 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 502 703 kg/cm2 Density 400 kg/m3 Hardness 207 kg Maximum Crushing Strength 247 375 kg/cm2 Stiffness 69 80 1000 kg/cm2 Specific Gravity 0.39 Weight 400 336 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 4 % References Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois and E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison. Erfurth, T., Rusche, H.,1976,The Marketing of Tropical Wood A. Wood Species from African Moist Forests,F.A.O. Forestry Department HMSO. 1981. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R.H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Keay, R.W.J. 1989. Trees of Nigeria. Revised Version of Nigerian Trees. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc. Fresno, California. Takahashi, A.,1978,Compilation of Data on the Mechanical Properties of Foreign Woods (Part,III) Africa,Shimane University, Japan, Research Report on Foreign Wood No. 7 WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing: Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC, Plants Program, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.