WHITE ALMOND (Alphitonia excelsa)
Trade Name
White almond
Scientific Name
Alphitonia excelsa Reissek ex Endl.
Family
RHAMNACEAE
Common Names
Laurika (Indonesia); Tangulai (Philippines); Alangsohan (Philippines); Coopers wood; Pokudita (Malaysia); Tulo (Philippines); Balik-angin (Malaysia); Kole (Indonesia); Kayu daun babalik (Indonesia); White ash; Red ash; Pati yata (Malaysia)
Scientific Name Synonyms
Alphitonia philippinensis Braid.; Alphitonia moluccana Teijsm. & Binnend.; Alphitonia incana (Roxb.) Kurz ex hoogland
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
It is a small to medium-sized tree rarely up to 30 m high. The bole is straight up to 20 m high.
Natural Habitat
It grows in disturbed or secondary forests, up to 2,500 m of altitude. In Papua New Guinea it is reported in dry savanna, in Australia it is occasionally found on very poor sandy soils.
Non Timber Uses
The wood is suitable for chemical pulping having a high pulp yield and requiring comparatively few chemicals. The bark shows antibacterial activity. In a local level it is used for soap and rope production.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally tangential diameter of vessel lumina 100 micras or less. Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Simple perforation plates. Vessel-ray pits similar to intervessel pits in size and shape. Intervessel pits medium, 7 to 10 micras. Intervessel pi Occasionally apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Occasionally prismatic crystals in chambered axial parenchyma cells and/or in fibers. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Rays more than 10 per mm (abundant). Occasionally rays exclusively uniseriate. Prismatic crystals in radial alignment in procumbent ray cells (chambered cells). Occasionally body ray cells procumbent with mostly 2 to 4 rows of up Fibers very thin walled. Occasionally fibers with distinctly bordered pits. 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
Odor
The wood presents a smell resembling sarsaparilla (Smilax spp.)
Color
The heartwood is pink-brown, sapwood is straw-colored.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
7
Natural Durability
This species is reportedly moderately durable. The sapwood is resistant against Lyctus.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
3
Wood Physical Properties
Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)
0.63
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.70
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
8.0
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
3.5
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying: Air seasoning is reported to be easy and rapid, without seriously degrade. Drying Defects: It often darkens considerately on drying. Kiln drying may result in slight warping and splitting. Kiln Schedules: Schedule recommended for Lampati. For lighter color timbers USDF schedule T10-D5S or UK schedule J are recommended.
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
2.3
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Workability
Machining
Workability of this species is good despite the presence of interlocked grain.
Planing
It is reported to plane easily, giving a highly lustrous polish.
Turning
30
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
HOUSING GENERAL, flooring, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, cabinets, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, TURNING, TOOLS, tool handles, CONTAINERS, cooperage, truck bodies, truck flooring, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, moldings
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.
Cabinet
- 24 - Empire Timbers
Panels, Veneers
- 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Turning
- 30 - Embassy of Honduras 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)
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
Molding
- 79 - Padronização da Nomenclatura Comercial Brasileira das Madeiras Tropicais Amazônicas, Sugestão
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