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MERSAWA (Anisoptera costata)
Trade Name
Mersawa
Scientific Name
Anisoptera costata Korth
Family
Dipterocarpaceae
Common Names
Venven (Vietnam); Mersawa (Netherlands); Mersawa (Germany); Phdiek (Cambodia); Krabak (United Kingdom); Palosapis (Philippines); Mersawa (Malaysia); Krabak (Netherlands); Krabak (Italy); Krabak (Spain); Krabak (United States of America); Krabak (Thailand); Pengiran (Sabah); Mersawa (Indonesia); Krabak (France); Krabak (Germany); Mersawa (Papua New Guinea); Kaunghmu (Myanmar); Pik (Thailand)
Scientific Name Synonyms
Anisoptera minadanensis Foxw.; Anisoptera marginatoides Heim; Anisoptera cochinchinensis Pierre
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
It is a large to very large tree up to 50 m tall. The bole is cylindrical and branchless for up to 35 m and up to 150 cm in diameter, with few buttresses of up to 4 m high and spreading out up to 2.5 m, continuing up to the bole as ribs up to 10 m high.
Natural Habitat
A large tree of semi-evergreen dipterocarp, evergreen and humid lowland forest, which occurs on premium land for conversion to agriculture.
Natural Distribution
It is widely distributed in Indo-China, Thailand, Sabah and Indonesia.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 200 micras or more (large). Tyloses common. Vestured pits. Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Vascular/vasicentric tracheides present. Simple perforation plates. Intervessel Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma scalariform. Larger rays more than 4 seriate. Sheath cells. Body ray cells procumbent with mostly 2 to 4 rows of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-II). Body ray cells procumbent with one row of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-III). Fibers with distinctly bordered pits.
Availability
Cites Status
Unrestricted
General Wood Description
Odor
It has resinous odor when fresh, but without characteristic taste or odor when dry.
Color
The sapwood is from light yellow to pale orange yellow when fresh and often can only be distinguished by blue stain. The heartwood darkens to light golden brown.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
5
Grain
It is not always straight, occasional mild spiral growth.
Texture
The texture is medium coarse with tyloses.
Natural Durability
The natural durability ranges from moderate to perishable. It is rapidly attacked if unprotected.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
6
Silica Content
Silica Content: This timber is reported to have a negligible silica content. Silica contents over 0.05% may affect wood processing. Silica Value: 0.05
Resistance To Impregnation
The sapwood is treatable, the heartwood may be moderately resistant to very resistant to impregnation.
Wood Physical Properties
Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)
0.61
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.67
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
10.0
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
3.8
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying: Seasoning is reported as good. Drying Defects: Risk of slight checking or twisting.
Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule
UK-E; US-T6-D2
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
2.6
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
812
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
462
Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
75
Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)
359
Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)
338
Workability
Sawing
The cutting resistance can be reduced by using correct saw profiles and specially hardened saw teeth. Stellite tipped saws are necessary.
Rotary Veneer Cutting
Peeling yields good quality veneer, although the veneer dries slowly and with slight buckling.
Sliced Veneer
Peeling yields good quality veneer, although the veneer dries slowly and with slight buckling.
Blunting Effect
It has a severe blunting effect on the cutting tools.
Machining
It is easy to work, but if it interlocked grain is present sharp cutters are essential.
Planing
The planed surface is smooth when sharp tools are used.
Boring
Boring of this species is reported to be easy.
Nailing
Nailing properties are good.
Gluing
It has a good behavior in gluing.
Sanding
Wood of this species is easy to sand.
Finishing
Wood of this species is easy to finish.
Polishing
Wood of this species is easy to polish.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
HOUSING GENERAL, beams, boards, flooring, frames, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, PACKING, CONTAINERS, cooperage, truck bodies, truck flooring, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, boats, boat deck, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, coffin
General Housing
- 10 - Silica in Timbers
Beams
- 11 - Prospect: The wood database
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
Packing
- 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
Containers
- 50 - Properties of imported tropical woods
Cooperage
- 51 - Recopilacion de propiedades mecanicas de maderas creciendo en Chile
Truck Body
- 53 - Timbers of the New World
Truck Flooring
- 54 - Bulletin of the Government Forest Experiment Station N.157: Identification of Tropical Woods
Shipbuilding
- 55 - Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
Boats
- 56 - Manual de Identificación de Especies Forestales de la Subregión Andina.
Boat Decking
- 59 - Programa Nacional de uso Sostenible de los Bosques e Incremento a las Exportaciones.
Handcraft
- 66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)
Coffin
- 78 - Amazonian Timbers for the International Market
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