TEMBESU (Fagraea fragrans)

Trade Name

Tembesu

Scientific Name

Fagraea fragrans Roxb.

Family

LOGANIACEAE

Common Names

Uling; Temesu; Tembusu luar; Tembesoe renah; Tembesoe rawang; Tembesoe paja; Sysulin; Perepat hutan; Meriang; Lemesu; Dulo; Burman yellowheart; Burma yellow heart (Myanmar); Man pa (Laos); Tatraou (Cambodia); Ahnyim (Myanmar); Anan (Myanmar); Dolo (Philippines); Tembusu hutan (Malaysia); Susulin (Philippines); Ambinaton (Indonesia); Kayu tammusu (Indonesia); Ki badak (Indonesia); Ironwood (United Kingdom); Ironwood (United States of America); Urung (Philippines); Tembesu talang (Indonesia); Tembusu padang (Malaysia); Tam sao (Vietnam); Trai (Cambodia); Kankrao (Thailand); Man pla (Thailand); Thamsao (Thailand); Kan krao (Thailand); Tembusu (Malaysia); Meraing (Malaysia); Reriang (Malaysia); Tembusu hutan (Sarawak); Tembusu padang (Sarawak); Tembusu padang (Brunei Darussalam); Keramati (Solomon Islands); Burma yellowheart (Myanmar); Trai (Vietnam); Tam sao (Thailand); Tembesu (Indonesia); Temasuk (Sabah); Tatrau (Cambodia)

Scientific Name Synonyms

Fagraea wallichiana Benth.; Fagraea sororia J.J. Smith; Fagraea gigantea Ridley; Fagraea cochinchinensis A. Chev.

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

It is a medium-sized or occasionally large tree up to 25 m tall. The bole up to 135 cm in diameter, occasionally fluted or with buttresses up to 2.5 m high.

Natural Habitat

Fagraea fragrans is reported in light primary or secondary forests in humid or seasonally inundated locations. It also occurs as a pioneer in burnt over areas.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally vessels in diagonal and/or radial pattern. Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Helical thickenings in vessel elements present. Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits similar to intervessel pits in size and shape. Intervessel pits smal Axial parenchyma in marginal or in seemingly marginal bands. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma confluent. Two cells per parenchyma strand. 3 to 4 cells per parenchyma strand. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Occasionally larger rays more than 4 seriate. Homogeneous rays and/or sub-homogeneous rays (all ray cells procumbent). Occasionally body ray cells procumbent with one row of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-III). Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits.

Wood Macro Photo Tangential Plane
Wood Micro Photo Of Transversal Section

Availability

Cites Status

Unrestricted

General Wood Description

Odor

It has a slightly unpleasant odor when freshly cut, odor disappears on drying.

Color

The sapwood is not sharply differentiated, just lighter pale yellowish white. The heartwood is light yellowish brown darkening on exposure to deep golden orange brown, occasionally with lighter or darker veining.

COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)

Grain

It is partly straight or occasionally wavy to slightly interlocked.

Texture

The texture varies from fine to medium.

Luster

The heartwood is lustrous when planed.

Natural Durability

It is very durable and fairly resistant to teredos.

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

Silica Content

Silica Content: It is non-siliceous. Silica Value: 0

Resistance To Impregnation

The sapwood is reported to be easy to preserve but the heartwood is untreatable.

Wood Physical Properties

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

0.69

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

0.78

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

6.6

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

3.4

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying: It is reported that quarter-sawn stock dried satisfactory. Drying Defects: Back-sawn stock is subject to checking and severe warping.

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

1.9

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)

949

Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

138355

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

565

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

Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)

587

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

555

Workability

Sawing

Sawing of this species is easy.

Rotary Veneer Cutting

This species is reported to be interesting for lamination.

Sliced Veneer

This species is reported to be interesting for lamination.

Machining

It is easy to machine.

Moulding

Molding is reported to be easy.

Turning

Boring

This species is easy to bore.

Mortising

It is easy to mortise.

Nailing

Pre-bore for nails and screws.

Gluing

The timber is reported to glue well.

Sanding

It has a good sanding behavior.

Finishing

Wood of this species is easy to finish.

Polishing

Polishing of this wood is easy.

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

EXTERIOR GENERAL, bridges, poles, paling, stakes posts, crossties, HOUSING GENERAL, flooring, panelling, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, cabinets, TURNING, cutlery, SPORTS, TOOLS, tool handles, agricultural tools, PACKING, CONTAINERS, cooperage, truck bodies, truck flooring, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, boats, port pillar, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, coffin

Exterior General

1 - Tabela de resultados de ensaios fisicos e mecanicos

Bridges

2 - 25 madeiras da amazonia de valor comercial, caracterizacao, macroscopica, usos comuns e indices qualificativos

Poles

3 - Estudo dendrologico e determinacao das caracteristicas fisicas e mecanicas do genipapo (Genipa americana)

Paling Fence Pickets

4 - Estudo dendrologico e determinacao das caracteristicas fisicas e mecanicas da bicuiba

Stake Posts

5 - Propriedades fisicas e mecanicas da madeira e do contraplacado de Pinus elliottii

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

Paneling

18 - W3TROPICOS Missouri Botanical Garden

Furniture Cabinets

21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.

Cabinet

24 - Empire Timbers

Turning

30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan

Knife Handles

33 - Embassy of Gabon 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

Packing

45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas

Containers

50 - Properties of imported tropical woods

Cooperage

51 - Recopilacion de propiedades mecanicas de maderas creciendo en Chile

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

Boats

56 - Manual de Identificación de Especies Forestales de la Subregión Andina.

Port Pillar

61 - Manual de Diseño para Maderas del Grupo Andino

Handcraft

66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)

Coffin

78 - Amazonian Timbers for the International Market

Please Provide Information To View Producer Information

* Or, continue as guest