Texture Browser

Botanical Name

Lovoa trichilioides Harms., Lovoa klaineana Pierre ex Sprague (Fam. Meliaceae)

Trade Names

Dibetou, African walnut, Congowood, Lovoawood, Noce africano

Substitution

African Mahogany, American Mahogany,Tiama, Walnut and Red Gum (= Liquidambar styraciflua).

Indigenous to

Tropical West Africa: Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Cameroon, Congo, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zaire

Characteristics

The sapwood is white and light grey and usually 5 cm wide. The heartwood is clearly distinguishable; going from grey brown to yellowish brown and turns darker in sunlight without losing the brilliance. The pores are medium-sized to rough, scattered and distinguishable by dark plenums also on longitudinal cuts. The direction of the grain is sometimes twisted during growth but also has stretches of very regular and close together shiny striping, like the Sapele. Growth layers are not visible.