POPLAR GUM (Eucalyptus alba)
Trade Name
Poplar gum
Scientific Name
Eucalyptus alba Reinw. ex Blume
Family
MYRTACEAE
Common Names
Ampupu; Poplar gum (Australia); Gum (Papua New Guinea)
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree of up to 26 m tall. The bole is often of poor shape, up to 60 cm in diameter.
Natural Habitat
Eucalyptus alba is reported to develop within an altitudinal range from sea level to 500 m.
Natural Distribution
It occurs in tropical regions of northern Australia and in Papua New Guinea, Java, Timor and neighboring islands.
Non Timber Uses
The bark is reported to contain 30 to 32% of tannins.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Colored deposits in heartwood vessels. Tyloses common. Vestured pits. Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Vessel-ray pits reticulate and/or foraminate. Vascular/vasicentric tracheides present. Simple perforation Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma in narrow bands on lines up to 3 cells wide. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Rays more than 10 per mm (abundant). Homogeneous rays and/or sub-homogeneous rays (all ray cells procumbent). Fibers with distinctly 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
Odor
The wood is tasteless and odorless.
Color
The sapwood is white. The heartwood is reddish-brown.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
3
Grain
The grain is deeply interlocked.
Texture
It is medium textured.
Natural Durability
It is reported to resist termites fairly well, particularly when bark is on.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
2
Silica Content
Silica Content: It is non-siliceous. Silica Value: 0
Resistance To Impregnation
The heartwood is resistant to preservative treatment, but the sapwood is probably permeable.
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)
0.95
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
8.1
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
5.1
Drying Defects
Drying Defects: It is reported that kiln drying of M. macroura boards resulted in no degrade at all.
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
1.6
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Workability
Machining
It is reported to be rather difficult to work. Sharpen edges are required to prevent grain picking up.
Planing
Sharp edges are required to prevent picking up of grain.
Turning
30
Nailing
It needs pre-boring, but it has good nail-holding.
Gluing
The timber is reported to glue well.
Staining
Staining of this species is reportedly easy.
Coatings
It paints and varnishes well.
Response To Hand Tools
It is a strong wood, difficult to work with hand tools.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
EXTERIOR GENERAL, poles, crossties, HOUSING GENERAL, flooring, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, TURNING, SPORTS, TOOLS, tool handles, agricultural tools, CONTAINERS, truck bodies, truck flooring, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts
Exterior General
- 1 - Tabela de resultados de ensaios fisicos e mecanicos
Poles
- 3 - Estudo dendrologico e determinacao das caracteristicas fisicas e mecanicas do genipapo (Genipa americana)
Crossties
- 8 - Maderas latinoamericas. III, Podocarpus standleyi ,Podocarpus oleifolius, Drims granadensis, Magnolia poasana y Didymopanax pittieri
General Housing
- 10 - Silica in Timbers
Flooring
- 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Furniture Cabinets
- 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Turning
- 30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan
Sports
- 38 - Annual Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation 1998-ITTO
Tools
- 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Tool Handles
- 43 - Maderas de Bolivia (Características y Usos de 55 Maderas Tropicales)
Agricultural Tools
- 44 - Atlas of Peruvian Woods
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
Handcraft
- 66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)
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