Canarium schweinfurthii

African Canarium

Family: Burseraceae

Other Common Names: Abel (Cameroon), Aiele (Ivory Coast), Elemi (Nigeria), Bediwunua, Eyere (Ghana), Mwafu (Uganda).

Distribution: Widely distributed in East, Central, and West Africa.

The Tree: Reaches a height of 150 ft with a straight cylindrical bole to 90 ft, trunk diameters 4 to 5 ft over a slight buttress.

The Wood:

General Characteristics: Heartwood a light pinkish brown or light pinkish yellow; sapwood whitish or straw colored, wide, not clearly differentiated. Texture somewhat coarse; grain interlocked sometimes producing a very attractive roe figure; lustrous; pleasant characteristic scent, without taste.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) about 0.40; air-dry density 30 pcf.

Mechanical Properties: (2-cm standard)

Moisture content Bending strength Modulus of elasticity Maximum crushing strength

(%) (Psi) (1,000 psi) (Psi)

Green (40) 5,900 900 3,130

12% 10,100 1,180 6,160

12% (44) 8,740 NA 4,830

12% (44) 10,750 1,310 6,240

Janka side hardness 520 lb for green material and 670 lb for dry. Amsler toughness at 12% moisture content 88 to 128 in.-lb (2-cm specimen).

Drying and Shrinkage: Timber seasons slowly, possibly with some collapse and a tendency to end checking and warp. Kiln schedule T1 0-D4S is suggested for 4/4 stock and T8-D3S for 8/4. Shrinkage green to 12% moisture content: radial 2.5%; tangential 4.5%. Movement in service is rated as medium.

Working Properties: Timber works easily with machine and hand tools but has a severe blunting effect on cutters because of silica content, sharp knives are required to avoid a woolly finish in planing, glues and nails satisfactorily, peels and slices easily.

Durability: Heartwood not resistant to decay and is vulnerable to termite attack; sapwood liable to attack by powder-post beetles. Logs must be protected with insecticides and fungicides and converted as soon as possible.

Preservation: Heartwood is extremely resistant to preservative treatments; sapwood permeable.

Uses: Plywood, decorative veneers, parquetry, joinery, furniture components.

Additional Reading: (3), (9), (40), (44)