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NIPIS KULIT (Memecylon pubescens)

Trade Name

Nipis kulit

Scientific Name

Memecylon pubescens (C.B. Clarke) King

Family

MELASTOMATACEAE

Common Names

Bangas (Malaysia); Gelam-gelam (Brunei Darussalam); Nipis kulit (Malaysia); Delek (Malaysia); Phlong (Thailand)

Scientific Name Synonyms

Memecylon grande Retz. Var. pubescens C.B. Clarke

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

Small to medium sized tree, up to 25 m tall. The bole is sometimes twisted, up to 100 cm in diameter, often fluted, occasionally with buttresses.

Natural Habitat

Memecylon pubescens occurs in the lower part of the canopy of primary lowland to montane forests, up to 1,800 m of altitude.

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Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 100 micras or less (very small). Occasionally vessels with colored deposits. Occasionally tyloses common. Vestured pits. Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Occa Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma aliform. Occasionally axial parenchyma confluent. Occasionally two cells per parenchyma strand. 3 to 4 cells per parenc 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Occasionally larger rays more than 4 seriate. Body ray cells procumbent with over 4 rows of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-I). Body ray cells procumbent with mostly 2 to 4 rows of upright and/or square marginal cell Fibers very thick walled. Fibers with distinctly bordered pits.

Availability

Cites Status

Unrestricted

General Wood Description

Color

The heartwood is yellow-brown or brown to dark brown with a purplish tinge, not sharply demarcated from the sapwood.

Grain

The grain is interlocked and sometimes irregular.

Texture

Texture is reported to be moderately fine and even.

Natural Durability

The wood is durable for indoor uses but not durable when exposed to the weather or in contact with the ground.

Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)

6

Resistance To Impregnation

The heartwood is reported to be resistant to preservative treatment, but the sapwood is readily treatable.

Wood Physical Properties

Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)

0.83

Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)

0.96

Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

9.4

Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

6.4

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying: Air seasoning is quite rapid. Boards 25 mm thick can be air dried in 2 to 2.5 months. Drying Defects: Slight bowing, twisting and some end checking are reported. Staining may also occur. Kiln Schedules: The wood can be kiln dried rapidly, but a mild kiln schedule is recommended.

Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)

1.5

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

683

Compression perpendicular to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

112

Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

122

Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)

999

Workability

Sawing

Wood of this species is easy to cut.

Blunting Effect

It has a severe blunting effect on the cutting elements.

Machining

Wood processing is reported to be easy to fair.

Planing

Planing process is reported to be difficult especially on the radial surface that has a tendency to pick up.

Turning

30

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

HOUSING GENERAL, beams, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, TURNING, cutlery, TOOLS, tool handles, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, boats, boat oars

General Housing
  • 10 - Silica in Timbers
Beams
  • 11 - Prospect: The wood database
Furniture Cabinets
  • 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Turning
  • 30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan
Knife Handles
  • 33 - Embassy of Gabon in Japan
Tools
  • 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Tool Handles
  • 43 - Maderas de Bolivia (Características y Usos de 55 Maderas Tropicales)
Shipbuilding
  • 55 - Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
Boats
  • 56 - Manual de Identificación de Especies Forestales de la Subregión Andina.
Boat Oars
  • 60 - Amazonian Timbers, Characteristics and Utilization Volume II; Curuá-Una Experimental Forest Station

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