OHIA (Celtis gomphophylla)
Trade Name
Ohia
Scientific Name
Celtis gomphophylla Baker
Family
ULMACEAE
Common Names
Ohia (Nigeria); Esa pa (Ghana); Esa kokoo (Ghana); Esa fufu (Ghana); Esa (Ghana); Ba (Côte d`Ivoire); Asan (Côte d`Ivoire); African celtis (United Kingdom); Celtis (Germany); Luniumbu (Zaire); Kayombo (Zaire); Bolunde (Zaire); Odou (Cameroon); Namanuka (Uganda); Mukokukoma (Uganda); Shiunza (Kenya)
Scientific Name Synonyms
Celtis durandii Engl.
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
The tree is not tall, from 10 to 25 m. The bole is usually 6 to 12 m long, heavily buttressed. The trunk diameter attains 80 cm.
Natural Habitat
Celtis gomphophylla is a tree of the lower canopy or understorey, it prefers secondary forests.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 100 to 150 micras (small). Tyloses thin walled. Non-vestured pits. Vessels per mm2 10 to 20 (abundant). Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits sim Axial parenchyma confluent. Axial parenchyma in discontinuous tangential lines. Prismatic crystals in non-chambered axial parenchyma cells. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Rays non-storied. Rays 1 to 4 seriate. Body ray cells procumbent with mostly 2 to 4 rows of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-II). Non-septate fibers. 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
Color
The sapwood is yellowish white. The heartwood is yellowish white to pale yellow, greenish-brown veining near the core, it is not clearly demarcated.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
7
Grain
Straight or sometimes interlocked. Usually interlocked grain is absent or very slight, without any effect on further processing operations.
Texture
The texture is typically fine to medium.
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)
0.67
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.75
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
8.9
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
5.0
Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule
FR-7
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
1.8
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
1661
Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
137565
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
601
Workability
Sawing
It is moderately easy to saw.
Rotary Veneer Cutting
Suitable for slicing, also suitable for peeling if treated.
Sliced Veneer
Suitable for slicing, also suitable for peeling if treated.
Blunting Effect
Slight blunting effect; ordinary tools can be used for sawing and machining.
Machining
Machining of this species is reportedly easy.
Planing
Moderately easy; tools must be cautiously sharpened.
Moulding
Easy; no particular problems.
Turning
30
Boring
Easy; no particular problems.
Mortising
Easy; no particular problems.
Nailing
Pre-boring is necessary.
Gluing
Glues well if basic gluing technical rules are followed.
Sanding
Easy to perform; it gives good results.
Polishing
Can be polished without surface preparation.
Steam Bending
This species can be used for steam bending.
Response To Hand Tools
No particular problems.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
EXTERIOR GENERAL, rails, crossarms, crossties, HOUSING GENERAL, beams, joists, boards, flooring, parquet, frames, steps, panelling, fittings, shutter boards, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, common furniture, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, faces, cores, common veneer, TURNING, ornaments, turned furniture, cutlery, lasts, PACKING, heavy packing, pallets, CONTAINERS, truck bodies, truck flooring, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, matches, moldings
Exterior General
- 1 - Tabela de resultados de ensaios fisicos e mecanicos
Rails
- 6 - Physical and mechanical properties of Eucalyptus deglupta Blume grown in Costa Rica
Crossheads Crossarms
- 7 - Maderas latinoamericanas. II, Quercus alata Q. costaricensis y Q. eugeniaefolia
Crossties
- 8 - Maderas latinoamericas. III, Podocarpus standleyi ,Podocarpus oleifolius, Drims granadensis, Magnolia poasana y Didymopanax pittieri
General Housing
- 10 - Silica in Timbers
Beams
- 11 - Prospect: The wood database
Joists
- 12 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part I-Tropical American Species
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
Parquet
- 15 - Empire Timbers
Frames
- 16 - Woods of the World
Steps
- 17 - Tree Conservation Database
Paneling
- 18 - W3TROPICOS Missouri Botanical Garden
Fittings
- 19 - Silica in Timbers
Shutter Boards
- 20 - Prospect: The wood database
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
Faces
- 26 - Annual Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation 1998-ITTO
Cores
- 27 - Embassy of Brazil in Japan
Common Veneer
- 29 - Embassy of Ecuador in Japan
Turning
- 30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan
Ornaments
- 31 - Embassy of Colombia in Japan
Turned Articles
- 32 - Embassy of Cote d`Ivoire in Japan
Knife Handles
- 33 - Embassy of Gabon in Japan
Lasts
- 34 - Embassy of Indonesia in Japan
Packing
- 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
Heavy Packing
- 47 - Arvores Brasileiras
Pallets
- 48 - The strength properties of timbers
Truck Body
- 53 - Timbers of the New World
Truck Flooring
- 54 - Bulletin of the Government Forest Experiment Station N.157: Identification of Tropical Woods
Handcraft
- 66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)
Matches
- 71 - Proprietes physiques et mecaniques des bois tropicaux, premier supplement
Molding
- 79 - Padronização da Nomenclatura Comercial Brasileira das Madeiras Tropicais Amazônicas, Sugestão
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