| | CITESwoodID: descriptions, illustrations, identification and information retrieval |
Nomenclature. Family: FABACEAE-FABOIDEAE. Other trade relevant species: consigments of Pterocarpus soyauxii may occasionally contain the very similar wood of P. osun und P. tinctorius. Further trade and local names: Afrikanisches Padouk, Afrikanisches Korallenholz (DE); legno corallo (IT); barwood, camwood (GB); bois corail, padouk (FR); Africaans padoek (NL); takula (AO); m'bel, ebeu (GA); palo rojo (GQ); ba, corail, epion, mohingué, muengé, ndimbo (CM); boisulu, kisésé, mukala (CG); ngula, wele (CD); arapka, osun (NG). Code according to DIN EN 13556: PTXX.
CITES(EU) status of protection. Listed in Annex II(B).
Similar timbers. Other species of the genus Pterocarpus and some of the genus Dalbergia.
Geographic distribution. Tropical Africa. South-eastern Nigeria east to Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaïre) and south to Angola.
Growth rings, colour, grain, etc. Growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically brown, red (freshly planed red-orange-brown (russet), with time fading too a dirtyish brown); with streaks (occasionally), or without streaks. Sapwood distinct from heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent. Wood heavy and hard (0.68–0.82–0.90). Interlocked grain present.
Hardwood vs softwood. Vessels (pores) present (= hardwood).
Vessels (pores). Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels (pores) in multiples; commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows (occasionally also in longer radial chains). Vessels large (115–230–295); very few (1–4). Tyloses absent. Other deposits in heartwood vessels (pores) present.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present; banded, or not banded. Parenchyma bands not (only) marginal; narrow; but much wider than rays. Other macroscopically visible types of axial parenchyma: aliform winged, confluent.
Rays. Rays narrow. Large rays commonly less than 1 mm high.
Storied structure. Storied structure present. Tiers regular (horizontal or slightly inclined); 3–4–5 per axial millimetre.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour shade of water extract colourless to brown, or red (light orange brown). Heartwood extractives leaching out when in contact with water. Ethanol extract fluorescent (weakly greenish blue); colour shade of ethanol extract colourless to brown, or red. Froth test positive. Splinter burns to partial ash, or to charcoal (depending on the origin of the specimen); colour of ash white to grey.
Additional information. See also: Informationsdienst Holz Merkblatt Nr. 70; TROPIX 7 (Bois d'Afrique - PADOUK). • Transverse section + wood surface. Pterocarpus soyauxii (African Padouk). Transverse section ca. 10x. radial surface, natural size. tangential surface, natural size.
The interactive key allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting specified attributes, summaries of attributes within groups of taxa, and geographical distribution.
Cite this publication as: ‘Richter, H.G., Gembruch, K., and Koch, G. 2014 onwards. CITESwoodID: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. In English, French, German, and Spanish. Version: 4th April 2023. www.delta-intkey.com’.
