English name: Iroko
Latin name: Chorophora excelsa
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Piptadeniastrum
Other name(s): Iroko( Ivory Coast), Abang( Cameroon, Gabon), Mandji( Gabon), Kambala( Congo, Zaire), Intule, Tule mufala( Mozambique), Semli( Sierra Leone, Liberia), Odoum( Ghana), Rokko, Oroko( Nigeria), Moreira( Angola), Lusanga, Mlundu, Mokongo( Zaire), Mvuli, Mvule( East Africa).
Features: Heartwood is usually a yellow to golden or medium brown, with color tending to darken over time. Pale yellow sapwood is clearly demarcated from the heartwood.
Trees and distribution: Large trees, up to 30m, more than 1m in diameter, distributed in Tropical Africa.
Material: Iroko has a medium to coarse texture, with open pores and an interlocked grain. Iroko is very durable, and is resistant to both rot and insect attack; it’s sometimes used as a substitute for Teak. Generally easy to work, with the exception of its interlocked grain, which may cause some tearout during surfacing operations. Also, deposits of calcium carbonate are sometimes present, which can have a significant dulling effect on cutters. Iroko glues and finishes well. No characteristic odor.
Applications: Veneer, flooring, furniture, cabinetry, boatbuilding, turned items, and other small specialty wood items.
