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BOTANICAL NAME: Pericopsis angolensis, Pericopsis elata, syn Afrormosia elata,
of the family Leguminosae
COMMON NAMES: afrormosia, akwa (South Pacific), ayin, assembla (Ivory Coast),
gold teak, kikrodua, kokrodua (Ghana), mwanga, chiwanga, chianga, egbi, taun
TYPE:
COLOR: heartwood medium to rich brown, sometimes with a tint of to yellow,
darkens with long exposure to the colour of teak but unlike teak the color does
not bleach out with age, sapwood narrow and lighter in color and clearly
demarcated
Dark stains liable to appear if the wood is in contact with iron under damp
conditions.
GRAIN: usually straight but sometimes interlocked with a regular wave. One
report says "interesting grain" but that has not been my experience and the web
pics I have seen and collected do not support it either.
TEXTURE: medium to fine
PROPERTIES / WORKABILITY: Works well with hand and machine tools, finishes
cleanly, turns satisfactorily, glues easily, saws well and can be planed smooth
but watch out for interlocking grain. Difficult to nail.
DURABILITY: heartwood is rated as very durable and highly resistant to termite
attack but also extremely resistant to preservative treatments --- sapwood
fairly permeable
FINISH: Can be polished to a very smooth high finish
STABILITY: Movement in service is rated as small
BENDING: moderate steam-bending properties
ODOR:
SOURCES: West Africa, mainly Ghana and the Ivory Coast but also Nigeria and
Mozambique, gregarious, grows in both wet and dry areas
USES: a wide range of interior and exterior uses including boat building, decks,
heavy construction, flooring, furniture and joinery. Is considered an excellent
teak substitute. Also used for boxes and crates, charcoal, plywood, poles,
posts, railroad ties, wheels and wheel spokes.
TREE: may reach a height of 150 ft; bole somewhat irregular, clear to 90 to 100
ft, buttressed to 8 ft and then fluted; trunk diameters 3 to 6 ft.
WEIGHT: about 45 lbs / cu. ft.
DRYING: Dries rather slowly with little degrade apart from slight warp and
sometimes slight surface checking. One report says kiln drying rate is rapid.
AVAILABILITY:
COST:
COMMENTS:many reports note a similarity to teak, and several mention that it is
favored over teak by some boat builders because the color darkens with age
rather than bleaching out the way teak does. It is stonger and less oily than
teak and is easier to glue.
The sawdust is reported to be an eye irritant, good ventilation needed.
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