Appearance: The heartwood when freshly cut is bright yellow but quickly turns to a dark golden brown after exposure to light. Grain is straight to interlocked with coarse to very coarse texture. It is streaked or patterned by parenchyma.

Characteristics: Heavy wood with low linear shrinkage and stable volumetric shrinkage. Mechanical resistance is ranked as medium. Sawdust may cause allergies due to its bitterness. Air drying is moderately easy with minimal defects. Excellent durability with resistance to fungi and insect attack.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) varies with species from 0.55 to 0.64; air-dry density 42 to 49 pcf.

Janka Rating: 1430

Working Properties: The blunting effect is high due to silica but has good machining characteristics. Locally it is considered a semi-hard species so easier to nail and screw than other species in the class.

Uses: Because it is very durable, beautiful and resistant to termites and rotting it is used locally in interior/exterior Construction Framing, Posts and Beams, as well as Flooring and Decking.