Terminalia superba

Afara

Limba

Family: Combretaceae

Other Common Names: Ofram (Ghana), Frake (Ivory Coast), Afara (Nigeria), Akom (Cameroon), Limba (Zaire, Angola). "Korina" a trade name in the United States.

Distribution: Widely distributed from Sierra Leone to Angola and Zaire; occurs in rain and savanna forests. A favored plantation species in West Africa.

The Tree: Reaches a height of 150 ft; boles straight and clear to 90 ft; trunk diameters 4 to 8 ft above buttresses. Brittleheart present in some logs.

The Wood:

General Characteristics: Heartwood yellow brown, sometimes with nearly black markings producing an attractive figure; sapwood not distinct from heartwood. Texture moderately coarse; grain straight to irregular or interlocked; slightly lustrous; mild odor. Dark colored figured wood is marketed separately as Dark Afara or Dark Limba. Splinters may cause skin inflammation.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.45; air-dry density 34 pcf.

Mechanical Properties: (2-cm standard)

Moisture content Bending strength Modulus of elasticity Maximum crushing strength

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

12%(9) 12,100 1,530 5,490

12%(29) 13,200 1,430 6,900

Amsler toughness 127 in.-lb at 12% moisture content (2-cm specimen).

Drying and Shrinkage: Seasons rapidly with little or no checking and warp. Kiln schedule T10-D5S is suggested for 4/4 stock and T8-D4S for 8/4. Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 4.5%; tangential 6.2%; volumetric 10.8%. Movement in service is rated as small.

Working Properties: Saws easily, works well with hand and machine tools, good veneering properties, good gluing and nailing characteristics, takes a good finish.

Durability: Heartwood is nondurable, not resistant to termites, liable to severe ambrosia beetle and powder-post beetle attack.

Preservation: Heartwood extremely resistant to preservative treatments; sapwood moderately so.

Uses: Plywood, furniture, interior joinery, sliced for decorative veneers.

Additional Reading: (3), (9), (29)

M 150 282-3Logs are delivered to a sawmill in southern Nigeria. African mahogany

(mostly Khaya ivorensis) is in high demand on overseas markets. Export of logs fro

this region, as well as from most other tropical areas, is being restricted.