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KAPOKIER (Bombax buonopozense)
Trade Name
Kapokier
Scientific Name
Bombax buonopozense Beauv.
Family
BOMBACACEAE
Common Names
Kapokier (Senegal); Kapokier (Côte d`Ivoire); Bumbum (Burkina Faso); West African Bombax (United Kingdom); Ougoumalanga (Gabon); Esodoum (Cameroon)
Scientific Name Synonyms
Bombax flammeum Ulbr.; Bombax buesgenii Ulbr.; Bombax angulicarpum Ulbr.
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
The tree reaches a height of 35 m, with a straight and cylindrical bole. The trunk is slightly buttressed, it attains 130 cm in diameter.
Natural Habitat
Bombax buonopozense is reported in transitional and dense rain forests.
Natural Distribution
From Sierra Leone to Congo.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 200 micras or more (large). Tyloses thin walled. Non-vestured pits. Vessels per mm2 less than 6 (rare). Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits sim Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Axial parenchyma storied. Prismatic crystals in non-chambered axial parenchyma cells. 3 to 4 cells per parenchyma strand. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Rays non-storied. Larger rays more than 4 seriate. Occasionally prismatic crystals in the ray cells. Heterogeneous rays and/or multiseriate heterogeneous rays. Non-septate fibers. Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits.
Availability
Cites Status
Unrestricted
General Wood Description
Color
The heartwood is whitish to pinkish grey, it is not demarcated. The silver figure is medium to large.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
7
Grain
Straight; grain has no particular influence on drying, machining and finishing qualities.
Texture
The wood is reported to have a coarse texture.
Luster
This species has moderate to high luster.
Natural Durability
Not durable; important risks of decay attacks at any processing step, from logs up to final products. It must receive preservative treatment. Sensible to termites attack. Heartwood is sensible to Lyctus attacks.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
5
Resistance To Impregnation
Easy to treat with a full penetration of the preservative products using vacuum-pressure method.
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) (%)
5.6
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
3.0
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying: The rates of shrinkage are small to moderate, from green to 12% moisture content 2.2-2.5% radial and 3.8-4.0% tangential. Drying Defects: The wood is reported has little or no degrade, altough precautions must be taken to prevent blue stain. Kiln Schedules: The recommended temperatures for kiln drying 25 mm thick boards from green to 15% moisture content are dry bulb 80-90oC and wet bulb 55-65oC.
Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule
FR-2
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
1.9
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
662
Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
49931
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
275
Workability
Sawing
It is easy to saw.
Rotary Veneer Cutting
Suitable for peeling without treatment.
Sliced Veneer
Suitable for peeling without treatment.
Blunting Effect
Slight blunting effect; ordinary tools can be used for sawing and machining.
Machining
Machining of this species is reportedly easy.
Planing
Easy; no particular problems.
Moulding
Rather difficult; special tools are needed.
Boring
Rather difficult; special tools are needed.
Mortising
Rather difficult; special tools are needed.
Nailing
Easy to perform but low nails holding.
Gluing
Glues well if basic gluing technical rules are followed.
Sanding
Particular care is needed to avoid woolly aspect of the surface.
Polishing
Needs pre-coating.
Response To Hand Tools
No particular problems.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
FURNITURE AND CABINETS, common furniture, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, cores, PACKING, light packing, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, door core, moldings, scale model
Furniture Cabinets
- 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Furniture, Common
- 23 - Handbook of Hardwoods
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
Light Packing
- 46 - ECUADOR, Inventario y Aprovechamiento de los Bosques del Sur Ecuatoriano
Door Cores
- 76 - Descripción General y Anatómica de 105 Maderas del Grupo Andino.
Molding
- 79 - Padronização da Nomenclatura Comercial Brasileira das Madeiras Tropicais Amazônicas, Sugestão
Scale Models
- 83 - Algunas caracteristicas fisicomecanicas de la madera de tres especies de la cordillera NeoVolcanica
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