Entandrophragma cylindricum
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Entandrophragma cylindricum |
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| Entandrophragma cylindricum | ||||||||||||
| ( Sprague ) Sprague |
Entandrophragma cylindricum is a species of the mahogany family(Meliaceae). In tropical Africa, there called sapeli or sapelli , it is widespread between the Ivory Coast , Ghana to the Congo and Uganda . So sapeli mahogany does not come from the mahogany tree, but from its own type of precious wood , which is reminiscent of real mahogany in terms of quality and appearance. Sapele wood is a sought-after export commodity in the countries where it is found.
description
Entandrophragma cylindricum grows as a deciduous tree that reaches heights of up to 60 meters and trunk diameters of around 2 meters or more. The cylindrical strains are often up to a height of 30 meters completely free of knots, have only minor buttresses on or be some meters high buttresses formed. The bark is slightly scaly and brownish.
The alternate and stalked leaves are arranged at the ends of the branches and are pinnate in pairs. They have a 5–13 cm long, somewhat flattened petiole and a 7–24 cm long, hairy rachis with 8–18 short-stalked leaflets . The papery-leathery and entire-margined leaflets are ovate to lanceolate or obscure to elongated, the tip is pointed. They are up to about 10-14 centimeters long and up to 4-5 centimeters wide. Stipules are missing.
There are short hairy, terminal or axillary and up to 25-30 centimeters long panicles . The functionally unisexual, short-stalked and small flowers are five-fold. The small chalice is cup-shaped with minimal lobes. The petals are 3–4 millimeters long and egg-shaped and green-white. The 10 stamens are fused together with a serrated tube on top, the upright anthers with minimal stamens are attached to the inside of the teeth. The conical, fünfkammerige ovary is constantly above a short stylus with a capitate and disk-shaped, five-lobed, -rippigen scar . There is a cushion-shaped, weakly ribbed and slightly hairy discus . There is a small pestle on the male flowers. In the female flowers, the anthers are smaller and do not open.
Cylindrical, septicidal and brownish capsule fruits are formed, which open from the tip. The capsules are about 10-20 centimeters long and 2.5-4 centimeters wide. In the individual compartments are 3–6 unilaterally winged and about 7–11 centimeters long (including 2 centimeters wide wings), flat and red-brown seeds.
use
Sapele wood has a strong golden or reddish brown color. The wood structure is very even. Occasionally there is a laterally wavy grain that creates a violin-shaped pattern. It is occasionally used as a substitute for mahogany. The use of sapele wood is only limited by the fact that drying damage occasionally occurs . The wood drying must therefore be carried out very carefully.
The sapelli wood is medium hard, but can be worked well. It is very easy to polish and has a beautiful grain. The wood is often used as a type of veneer in furniture and instrument making. Since it is relatively durable, it is also used for doors and window frames as well as in ship and boat building.
literature
- Andrew Duncan, Gwen Rigby: The Hobby Carpenter - Woodworking Technique. German edition in cooperation with the master school Ebern for the carpentry trade. Orbis Verlag, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-572-00763-1 .
- AC Hoyle: Entandrophragma cylindricum. In: Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information. (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), No. 1, 1932, pp. 40-42, JSTOR 4107728 .
- Entandrophragma cylindricum. at PROTA.
Web links
- Sapele at The Wood Database.
- HG Richter, MJ Dallwitz: Commercial timbers - Entandrophragma cylindricum at DELTA.
- GD Holz and vTI : Leaflet Sapelli (PDF; 1.28 MB), accessed on November 17, 2016.