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.
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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