The trees grow to about 50 meters high, of which the first 30 meters are branch-free. The bark secretes reddish substances. The crown is strongly branched. Typical for this tree are the very narrow (5 to 7 cm) root roots, which can grow up to 6 meters high.
Wood description
The heartwood of African padauk is beautiful coral red to purple brown. It is therefore used as a dye in the textile industry, among other things. Without finishing it quickly discolors to brown due to light. The sapwood has a cream color. The color of the heartwood varies from location to location. In the optimal growing area it is coral red with black stripes (Gabon) or homogeneous red in Cameroon. At the edge of the growing area (Congo, Congo-Brazzaville) the heartwood gets white spots. But that does not change the durability or mechanical properties.
