PULAI (Alstonia scholaris)
Trade Name
Pulai
Scientific Name
Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br.
Family
APOCYNACEAE
Common Names
White cheesewood (Papua New Guinea); Dosi (Indonesia); Goti (Indonesia); Pulai biasa (Indonesia); Lingaroe (Indonesia); Pulai (Sarawak); Pulai (Indonesia); Dita (Philippines); Mo cua (Vietnam); Popel khe (Cambodia); Tienpod (Thailand); Shaitan (Myanmar); Chatian (Bangladesh); Chatian (India)
Scientific Name Synonyms
Pala scholaris (L.) Roberty; Echites scholaris L.
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
It is a medium size to fairly large tree, up to 40 m tall. The bole is 15 m long, cylindrical, fluted in older trees, up to 125 cm in diameter. It presents stout buttresses up to 6 m high. It is reported as a corkwood tree.
Natural Distribution
A. scholaris is the most widely distributed species of the Pulai group. It is reported to grow from Sri Lanka, throughout mainland Southeast Asia down to Australia.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 200 micras or more (large). Vestured pits. Vessel-ray pits reticulate and/or foraminate. Simple perforation plates. Intervessel pits small, 7 micras or less. Prismatic crystals in chambered axial parenchyma cells and/or in fibers. Axial parenchyma in narrow bands on lines up to 3 cells wide. Body ray cells procumbent with one row of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-III). Fibers with distinctly bordered pits.
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Wood Macro Photo Radial Plane
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Wood Micro Photo Of Transversal Section
Availability
Cites Status
Unrestricted
General Wood Description
Color
The heartwood is cream-white, sometimes weathering to yellow-brown, and not clearly differentiated from the sapwood.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
6
Grain
The grain is straight or interlocked.
Texture
The texture is moderately fine to moderately coarse.
Luster
Planed surfaces are moderately lustrous, the tangential surface occasionally with zigzag markings.
Natural Durability
The wood is non-durable and is very perishable in exposed conditions and in contact with the ground.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
5
Silica Content
Silica Content: The wood contains no silica. Silica Value: 0
Resistance To Impregnation
The wood is easy to treat with preservatives.
Wood Physical Properties
Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)
0.35
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.37
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
4.9
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
3.1
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
1.6
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
496
Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
80000
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
297
Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
52
Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)
203
Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)
330
Workability
Sawing
This species is easy to saw.
Rotary Veneer Cutting
Tests on this species indicate that it can be laminated at a 90 degrees peeling angle.
Sliced Veneer
Tests on this species indicate that it can be laminated at a 90 degrees peeling angle.
Planing
Planing operations are rather easy.
Nailing
This species has good nailing properties.
Sanding
Wood of this species is easy to sand.
Finishing
This species is reported to be easy to finish.
Polishing
Polishing of this species is reportedly easy.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
HOUSING GENERAL, shutter boards, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, cores, PACKING, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, pencil, shoes, matches, coffin, particleboard, paper
General Housing
- 10 - 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.
Panels, Veneers
- 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Cores
- 27 - Embassy of Brazil in Japan
Packing
- 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
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.)
Pencils
- 67 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VIII, Calophyllum brasilense, Couratari panamensis, Dendropanax arboreum y Bombacopsis sessilis
Shoes
- 70 - Proprietes physiques et mecaniques des bois tropicaux de l`union francaise
Matches
- 71 - Proprietes physiques et mecaniques des bois tropicaux, premier supplement
Coffin
- 78 - Amazonian Timbers for the International Market
Particleboard
- 80 - Estudio Integral de la Madera para Construcción
Paper
- 82 - Compilation of Data on the Mechanical Properties of Foreign woods (Part 2) Central and South America.
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