Texture Browser

Botanical Name

Entandrophragma cylindricum Sprague., Entandrophragma rufa A. Chev. (Fam. Meliaceae)

Trade Names

Sapeli-Mahagoni, Sapelli, Sapele, Aboudikro

Substitution

As veneer for American Mahogany, Abarco, Guarea, Danta, Red Meranti, African Mahogany, Kosipo, Utile and Tiama

Indigenous to

West-, Central- and East Africa; Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Zaire, Central African Republic, Uganda

Characteristics

The sapwood is relatively wide (3-8 cm), white to grey, and clearly distinguishable from heartwood. The heartwood is reddish brown, turns darker to dark brown when exposed to air, without losing its Gold-shine. Pores are large to medium-sized, scattered and numerous, fillers exist, but not peculiar. At recent cutting the wood has a smell like cedar. It shrinks moderate, is not resistant to weather and to termites. The irregular twist often is very narrow and regular, causes distinctive radial striation, and therefore it is very decorative.