DURIAN (Neesia altissima)
Trade Name
Durian
Scientific Name
Neesia altissima (Blume) Blume
Family
BOMBACACEAE
Common Names
Chang haek (Thailand); Bengang (Indonesia); Durian (Indonesia); Duyin (Myanmar); Gengang (Malaysia); Bungal (Malaysia); Durian daun (Malaysia); Djeung-djing (Malaysia); Durian tupai (Malaysia); True durian (Malaysia)
Scientific Name Synonyms
Neesia ambigua; Esenbeckia altissima Blume
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
It is an evergreen, medium-sized to large tree up to 50 m tall. The bole is often short, up to 120 cm in diameter, sometimes with short thick buttresses.
Natural Habitat
This species is found scattered in evergreen primary forests, often along streams or in freshwater swamps, up to 1,800 m of altitude. Not enough information available to apply the criterrion.(CITES,?,1997)
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 200 micras or more (large). 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. Interves Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Occasionally apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Prismatic crystals in non-chambered axial parenchyma c 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Ray height more than 1 mm. Larger rays more than 4 seriate. Tile cells. Fibers very thin walled. Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits.
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Wood Macro Photo Tangential Plane
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Wood Micro Photo Of Transversal Section
Availability
Cites Status
Unrestricted
General Wood Description
Odor
It has typical musk odor.
Color
The whitish sapwood is clearly demarcated. The heartwood varies from pink-brown to gray-brown.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
5
Grain
It is mostly straight, occasionally lightly interlocked.
Texture
This species is reported to have a medium to coarse texture.
Luster
The heartwood sometimes has a reddish luster.
Natural Durability
It is perishable and prone to blue stain, infestation by ship-timber beetle is reported.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
5
Resistance To Impregnation
It is rated as permeable.
Wood Physical Properties
Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)
0.41
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.44
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
5.9
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
3.2
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying: Seasoning is generally easy and rapid with little degrade. Drying Defects: Risk of moderate warping. Kiln Schedules: Kiln drying is fairly rapid under moderate schedules.
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
1.8
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
662
Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
97314
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
336
Compression perpendicular to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
31
Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
71
Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)
362
Workability
Machining
The wood converts well in all machining processes.
Planing
The wood converts well in planing, although it tends to pick up on quarter sawn surfaces.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
HOUSING GENERAL, boards, flooring, frames, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, cores, PACKING, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, shoes, coffin
General Housing
- 10 - Silica in Timbers
Boards
- 13 - Dry kiln schedules for commercial woods. Temperate and tropical. Section III. Latin American (Mexico, Central, and South America) Woods–Conventional Temperatures
Flooring
- 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Frames
- 16 - Woods of the World
Furniture Cabinets
- 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Panels, Veneers
- 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Cores
- 27 - Embassy of Brazil in Japan
Packing
- 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
Shoes
- 70 - Proprietes physiques et mecaniques des bois tropicaux de l`union francaise
Coffin
- 78 - Amazonian Timbers for the International Market
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