Lophira alata Banks ex Gaertn.f. (= L. procera A. Chev.). It belongs to the family Ochnaceae.
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Other names
Ekki
Latin name
Lophira alata Banks ex Gaertn.f. (= L. procera A. Chev.). It belongs to the family Ochnaceae.
Growth area
Tropical West Africa
Tree description
Height about 40 m (maximum 50 m), with a 25-30 m long, often slightly oval, branchless trunk often with a slight curvature. The diameter is maximum 1.5-1.8 m and the trunk base is usually slightly swollen.
Wood description
The heartwood is fresh red-brown and fades to dark red to chocolate brown, or sometimes to violet-like dark red-brown. Azobé has prominent white to yellow coloured constituents in the barrels. The structure is generally quite regular. Due to cross-graining, alternating light and dark bands can be seen on the quarter plane. The cut surface shows a faint stripe pattern, caused by the colour difference between fibre and parenchyma tissue. In fresh azobé, an 80-120 mm wide ring of lighter coloured transitional wood often occurs between the heartwood and sapwood. When dry, this wood, which has not yet been fully pithed, takes on the same colour as the heartwood. This transitional wood is less durable than the remaining heartwood. The up to 50 mm wide sapwood is sharply defined and has a clearly lighter colour than the heartwood.
Wire
Usually cross thread or irregular thread
Grain
Coarse
Voluminous mass
940 - 1060 -1100 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content
Sustainability
Natural durability class 1 (in freshwater) (NEN - EN 350).
