• Distribution: Tanzania and Mozambique



• Characteristics: Although sometimes called ‘African ebony’, this is misleading as the true ebonies have the generic name Diospyros ; it would be more correct to call it a rosewood since it is a species of Dalbergia. The sapwood is narrow, white in colour, and clearly defined from the dark heartwood, which is dark brown to black with prominent black streaks. It is straight grained and extremely fine textured, hard and more dense than rosewoods generally. Its weight is about 1200 Kg/M3 when dried. The timber dries extremely slowly and heart shakes are very common.



• Working qualities:
In spite of its hardness it works quite easily, and takes an excellent finish. It is however hard to saw.


• Uses: Ornamental turnery, chessmen, carved figures, walking sticks, inlay work, brushbacks and knife handles. Its oiliness and resistance to climatic changes commend it for woodwind instruments in preference to ebony, and it is used in the manufacture of bagpipes, clarinets, piccolos and flutes.




 

Information kindly supplied by Country Woods. © Country Woods