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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 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 Schedules Light-Induced Color Change Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Natural Growth Defects Numerical Data Odor Painting 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 Synonyms Texture Toxicity Trade Name Tree Identification Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Mitragyna stipulosa Trade Name Nzingu Family Name Rubiaceae Synonyms Mitragyna chevalieri, Mitragyna macrophylla, Mitragyna stipulosa, Nauclea bracteosa, Nauclea macrophylla, Nauclea stipulacea, Nauclea stipulosa, Sarcocephalus pobeguinii, Mamboga stipulosa Common Names Abura, Afop zam, African linden, Agidilif, Akpakosso, Am-bop, Ba, Bahia, Baya, Beiya, Beya, Bo, Boei, Boh, Bopi-le, Bulokossa, Burokossa, Dong, Eba, Ebar, Eben, Elilom, Eti-ayip, Ewe, False opepe, Idabakoror, Iluku, Kechi lebet, Kofo, Kpoo, Kpowo, Kwo-kwo, Louambo, M'boy, Maloucou, Malucu, Maluku, Mboi, Mboroagalaga, Moukonia malamba, Muho, Munga, Munyamaizi, Mvuku, Nzingu, Obi, Obol, Obul, Ogouwa, Ohombe, Oo, Ovbevbe, Poboi, Pope, Poplar, Popo, Popoe, Powo, Sofo, Songwa, Subaha, Subaya, Subosema, Supuya, Tileul d'afrique, Ubolu-mili, Ubura, Uburn, Ugbodokossa, Uwen, Voukou, Vuku, wewoko, Wowovoko, Ya-ya, Yar-yar, Yowi Regions of Distribution Africa Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia Common Uses Balusters, Boat building (general), Boxes and crates, Brush backs & handles, Building construction, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Carvings, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Construction, Cooperages, Core Stock, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Flooring: industrial heavy traffic, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Furniture, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Ladders , Light construction, Living-room suites, Matches, Millwork, Moldings, Musical instruments , Musical instruments, Musical instruments: percussion, Oars, Office furniture, Paneling, Parquet flooring, Particleboard, Plywood, Posts, Pulp/Paper products, Pulpwood, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Shipbuilding, Stairworks, Stools, Tool handles, Turnery, Vats, Vehicle parts, Veneer: decorative, Violin bows Environmental Profile Secure in many areas of its range Little or no threat to its population Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center Distribution Overview This species occurs from Senegal to Sudan, Zambia and Angola in Africa, and is usually found in swampy places in forest outliers of inland areas Heartwood Color Brown Yellow Purple Red Orange Pale brown Yellow to golden-yellow to orange Pale red to pink Greenish to greyish Reddish brown Brown Yellow White to cream Pinkish tinge Light brown Fades to grey-pink with age Sapwood Color White Yellow Same as heartwood White to yellow Well defined Pinkish Different than heartwood Grain Straight Interlocked Weak (figure) Figure Even Crossed Straight Interlocked Weak figure Straight to interlocked Occasional spiral Texture Medium Coarse Fine Medium Fine to medium Very even Coarse Luster Medium Dull Natural Growth Defects Brittleheart sometimes present. Natural Durability Moderately durable Non durable Susceptible to attack from termites (Isoptera) Susceptible to attack from powder post (Lyctid & Bostrychid) beetles Perishable Susceptible to marine borer attack Very little natural resistance Pinworms (ambrosia beetles) often present in the standing tree Pinworms (ambrosia beetles) may be present in the felled log Pinworms (ambrosia beetles) are commonly present Moderately durable Odor No specific smell or taste Light-Induced Color Change Darker Toxicity Unspecified toxicity Dermatitic effects Kiln Schedules Drying (speed) is fast UK=H US=T10D4S/T8D3S Fr=7 UK=K US=T13C4S/T11D3S Drying Defects Checking Splitting Moderate end spitting Slight twist/warp Slight end splitting No twisting or warping Moderate surface checking Ease of Drying Fairly Easy Easy Air dries easily and uniformly Tree Identification Bole/stem form is not buttressed Bole/stem form is buttressed Bole/stem form is cylindrical Bole/stem form is straight Tree Size Tree height is 30-40 m Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Blunting Effect Small effect Boring Easy Carving Very good results Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Cutting Resistance with dry wood is easy Cutting Resistance with green wood is easy Easy to saw Gluing Easy to glue Glues well Mortising Good mortising properties Easy to mortise Moulding Good finishing results Good moulding properties Easy to mould Movement in Service Small Nailing Easy to nail Good nailing properties Planing Planes well, to a good finish Easy to plane The material is reported to plane readily to yield smooth, clean surfaces. Resistance to Impregnation Heartwood is permeable Heartwood is moderately resistant Sapwood is permeable Permeable Response to Hand Tools Easy to machine Variable qualities Excellent response Routing & Recessing Routing yields good results Routing is easy Sanding Good sanding finish Easy to sand Screwing Easy to screw Turning Good results Good results Veneering Qualities Easy to cut No drying degrade. Dries flat without splitting Steam Bending Very poor Painting Good results Polishing Fair to Good Results Very Good to Excellent Results Satisfactory results Good results Poor results Excellent results Staining Finish is generally satisfactory Finish is generally good Good staining properties Strength Properties Hardness (side grain) = soft Density (dry weight) = 31-37 lbs/cu. ft. Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = very low Max. crushing strength = medium Max. crushing strength = low Density (dry weight) = 38-45 lbs/cu. ft. Bending strength (MOR) = medium Shrinkage, Tangential = large Bending strength (MOR) = low Shrinkage, Tangential = very small Shrinkage, Radial = very small Shrinkage, Radial = small Toughness-Hammer drop (Impact Strength) = low Shrinkage, Tangential = fairly large Shrinkage, Radial = moderate Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = medium Hardness (side grain) = very soft Strength properties vary with density Shrinkage, Tangential = small Shrinkage, Radial = fairly large Resists denting and marring Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = high Density (dry weight) = 46-52 lbs/cu. ft. Logs are good floaters. Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 7884 12245 psi Density 35 lbs/ft3 Hardness 820 lbs Impact Strength 25 28 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 3524 5837 psi Shearing Strength 2205 psi Stiffness 1192 1477 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 8 12 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.53 Weight 35 34 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 8 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 554 860 kg/cm2 Density 560 kg/m3 Hardness 371 kg Impact Strength 63 71 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 247 410 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 155 kg/cm2 Stiffness 83 103 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.56 0.84 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.53 Weight 560 544 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % References Arkwright, P.,1955,Know your Timbers No.15 Abura,Woodworking Industry,12(3, p177 Bolza, E., Keating, W.G.,1972,African Timbers - the Properties, Uses and Characteristics of 700 Species,C.S.I.R.O. Div. of Building Research Bolza, E.,1976,Timber and Health,Div. Building Res. C.S.I.R.O. Australia Bond, C.W.,1950,Colonial Timbers,Sir Issac Pitman & Sons Ltd. London Chalk, L.,1933,Twenty West African Timber Trees,Forest Trees and Timbers of the British Empire,Part 2 Cooper, G.P., Record, S.J.,1931,The Evergreen Forests of Liberia,Yale School Forestry Bulletin,31,pp1-153 Eggeling, W.J.,1940,Indigenous Trees of Uganda,Govt. Printer Entebbe Uganda Erfurth, T., Rusche, H.,1976,The Marketing of Tropical Wood A. Wood Species from African Moist Forests,F.A.O. Forestry Department Fouarge, J.,1950,Appropriation de Bois Congolais aux Besoins de la Metropole,I.N.E.A.C. Belgium Serie Technique,No.38 Fouarge, J.,1953,Bois du Congo,I.N.E.A.C. France - C.T.F.T./C.T.B.,1982,Guide pour le Choix des Essences Deroulables-pour la fabrication du,contreplaque,C.T.F.T./C.T.B. France France - C.T.F.T.,1961,Resultats des Observations et des Essais effectues au CTFT sur Abura,C.T.F.T. Information technique,No.109 France - Comite Nacional des Bois Coloniaux,1931,Etude Physique et Mecanique des Bois Coloniaux,Assoc. Colonies-Sciences & Comite National des Bios Coloniaux, Paris,,France Ghana - Timber Marketing Board,1969,Ghana Hardwoods,Timber Marketing Board Grant, D.K.S.,1934,Some Local Timbers,Tanzania Forest Department Gutierrez Oliva, A., Plaza Pulgar, F.,1967,Caracteristicas fisico-mecanicas de las maderas Espanolas. (Physical and,mechanical properties of Spanish timbers.,Min.Agric./Dir.Gen Montes/Instituto Forestral de Investigaciones,y,Experiencias, Madrid pp102 Hedin, L.,1930,Etude sur la Foret et les Bois du Cameroun,Haut-Commissaire de la Cameroun Howard, A.L.,1948,A Manual of Timbers of the World.,Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London 3rd ed. Irvine, F.R.,1961,Woody Plants of Ghana,O.U.P. London Keay, R.W.J. 1989. Trees of Nigeria. Revised Version of Nigerian Trees. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Keay, R.W.J.,1964,Nigerian Trees Vol.2,Nigeria Federal Department of Forest Research, Ibadan Kennedy, J.D.,1936,Forest Flora of Southern Nigeria,Government Printer Lagos Kinloch, D., Miller, W.A.,1949,Gold Coast Timbers,Govt. Printer Gold Coast Lavers, G. M. 1966. The Strength Properties of Timbers. Forest Products Research Bulletin, No. 50. Ministry of Technology, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London. Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc., Fresno, California. Pieters, A.,1977,Essences Forestieres du Zaire,R.U.G. Gent Belguim Sallenave, P.,1955,Proprietes Phyiques et Mecaniques des Bois Tropicaux de l'Union Francaise,C.T.F.T Savill, P.S., Fox, J.E.D.,1967,Trees of Sierra Leone Scott, M.H.,1950,Notes on the more Important African Timbers Imported into the Union with,Special Ref. to Port. E.A. Species,Journal of the South African Forestry Association,No.19,pp18-62,[South,African Forestry Journal] Spalt, H.A., Stern, W.L.,1959,Survey of Africa Woods 4,Tropical Woods 17(110) pp42-115 Tack, C.H.,1969,Uganda Timbers,Govt. Printer Uganda Timber Development Association,1948,Some New Timbers and Their Uses No. 34,Timber Development Association Limited, London [TRADA] Uganda Forest Department,1954,Abura (Mitragyna stipulosa and Mitragyna rubrostipulata,Uganda Forest Div. Util. Sec. Timber Leaflet,No.6 Uganda Forest Department,1954,The Mechanical Properties of some Ugandan Timbers,Uganda Forest Department Timber Leaflet,No.1 Uganda Forest Department,1969,The Shrinkage of Some Ugandan Timbers,Uganda Forestry Department Timber Leaflet,No.47 Unwin, A.H.,1920,West African Forests and Forestry,T. Fisher Unwin Ltd. London White, F.,1962,Forest Flora of Northern Rhodesia,O.U.P. London Wood, B., Calnan, D.,1976,Toxic Woods,British Journal of Dermat 94 Suppl. 13