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ALBIZIA (Albizia chinensis)
Trade Name
Albizia
Scientific Name
Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr.
Family
LEGUMINOSAE
Common Names
Cham (Vietnam); Saan kham (Thailand); Silk tree; Cham (Vietnam); Kaang luang (Thailand); Unik (Philippines); Kantingen (Philippines); Hinagit (Philippines); Sengon (Indonesia); Sengghung (Indonesia); Jeungjing (Indonesia)
Scientific Name Synonyms
Mimosa chinensis Osbeck; Albizia stipulata (DC.) Boivin; Albizia marginata (Lamk) Merr.; Acacia stipulata DC.
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
Albizia presents small to fairly large trees, from 35 up to 50 meters. Usually branchless for up to 20 meters, reaching diameters of 100 to 150 cm.
Natural Habitat
Albizia trees are described as a pioneer species in open, secondary or primary deciduous or monsoon forest and savanna and scrub vegetation.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally vessels with colored deposits. Vestured pits. Vessels per mm2 less than 6 (rare). Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits similar to intervessel pits in size and shape. Intervessel pits medium, 7 to 10 micras. Intervessel pit Axial parenchyma in marginal or in seemingly marginal bands. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Occasionally paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma aliform. Axial parenchyma confluent. Prismati 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Larger rays more than 4 seriate. Homogeneous rays and/or sub-homogeneous rays (all ray cells procumbent). Occasionally septate fibers present. Fibers very thick walled. Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits.
Availability
Cites Status
Unrestricted
General Wood Description
Color
Heartwood pale brown to dark reddish-brown or golden-brown with paler streaks and bands, sharply demarcated from the white to straw-colored sometimes very wide sapwood.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
5
Grain
Grain sometimes straight but usually interlocked or wavy.
Texture
Texture moderately fine to moderately coarse and even.
Natural Durability
The wood is non-durable to durable, and is resistant to dry-wood termites but the sapwood is susceptible to Lyctus.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
6
Resistance To Impregnation
The heartwood is extremely resistant to impregnation, the sapwood is permeable.
Wood Physical Properties
Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)
0.34
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.36
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
6.1
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
2.5
Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule
JP-24
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
2.5
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
540
Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
90000
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
245
Workability
Sawing
The response of this wood in sawing is fair to difficult.
Rotary Veneer Cutting
The wood is suitable for the production of veneer, sometimes even for decorative veneer.
Sliced Veneer
The wood is suitable for the production of veneer, sometimes even for decorative veneer.
Machining
The wood is somewhat difficult to work with machine tools.
Planing
The wood tends to pick up in planing.
Moulding
The wood tends to pick up in molding.
Turning
30
Nailing
Nailing properties are fair.
Finishing
It has a good finishing.
Polishing
The wood polishes excellently.
Response To Hand Tools
This species has a fair response to hand tools.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
HOUSING GENERAL, flooring, shutter boards, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, TURNING, SPORTS, TOOLS, PACKING, CONTAINERS, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, boats, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, matches, paper
General Housing
- 10 - Silica in Timbers
Flooring
- 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Shutter Boards
- 20 - Prospect: The wood database
Furniture Cabinets
- 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Panels, Veneers
- 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Turning
- 30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan
Sports
- 38 - Annual Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation 1998-ITTO
Tools
- 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Packing
- 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
Containers
- 50 - Properties of imported tropical woods
Shipbuilding
- 55 - Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
Boats
- 56 - Manual de Identificación de Especies Forestales de la Subregión Andina.
Other & Musical Instruments
- 63 - Madeiras do Brazil II
Matches
- 71 - Proprietes physiques et mecaniques des bois tropicaux, premier supplement
Paper
- 82 - Compilation of Data on the Mechanical Properties of Foreign woods (Part 2) Central and South America.
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