West and East Africa from Guinea through Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Congo to Angola, eastwards to Zaire and Uganda, tropical rain forests.
USES:
For veneer In Central Europe generally used as interior veneerUsed as a substitute for Cherry when applied as face veneer Frequently used in Southern Europe as face veneer for mass‑produced ‑furniture. Used also in North America for high quality architectural purposes, but generally in figured form. Special wood for printing and dyeing. In Italy, Spain and Greece used as a substitute for Walnut Sapwood. Also used for the production of fineline veneers.
PROPERTIES:
The heartwood is reddish‑grey to light yellowish‑brown, often withdark discoloration which is a great disadvantage in use. The heartwood is considerably resistant to fungi, insects and the weather, but is sensitive to blue stain.
MACHINING:
There is no great problem in machining this wood but tools become quickly dull due to silicate deposits.
SEASONING:
There is no great difficulty in drying cut lumber The wood should be dried as soon as possible after cutting to prevent blue stain.
FINISHING:
Surface treatment by all the usual methods is possible but white patches can appear on the surface as a result of calcium deposits.
JOINTING:
Gluing presents no problems. Nail and screw joints should be pre‑drilled to prevent splitting
