Prioria balsamifera
Specifications
Family
Fabaceae
Species
Prioria balsamifera (Vermosen) Bretler
Description
The wood has a curious, spicy odor and is a whitish-yellowish color, almost undifferentiated; after drying, the heartwood takes on a pinkish or yellow-brown hue. The texture is medium to coarse, the grain interwoven, and the density ranges from 0.45 to 0.55. It has medium mechanical strength, while the heartwood is very durable.
Plant morphology
A large evergreen tree, up to 60 m tall, with a columnar trunk 180 cm in diameter, branchless up to 35 m, and free of buttresses, covered with a very resinous bark. The leaves are pinnately compound, with leaflets with entire margins. The flowers, composed of four sepals, are very small, whitish in color, and borne in large inflorescences. The fruit is a legume, resembling a maple samara.
Natural occurrence
Countries of origin and distribution
Equatorial West Africa: Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea.
Habitat and ecology
Species widespread in the rainforest up to 600 m above sea level, but prefers lowlands with fresh, deep soil.
Uses
Use class
CU1
CU2
CU3
CU4
CU5
Application areas
It is used for furniture, interior furnishings, windows and doors, fixtures, boats, packaging, veneers for decorative veneers, crates, boxes, and panels.
Technical data
Aesthetic characteristics
Grain
Slightly obvious
Texture
Medium
Physical and mechanical properties
Density
ρ
ρ
520
kg/m3
Radial shrinkage
Rad. sh.
Rad. sh.
24
MPa
Tangential shrinkage
Tang. sh.
Tang. sh.
54
MPa
Bending strength
M.O.R.
M.O.R.
74
MPa
Modulus of Elasticity
M.O.E.
M.O.E.
10920
MPa
Durability characteristics
Fungal resistance
Moderatamente durabile
Insect resistance
Not resistant
Miscellaneous
Given its state of conservation in nature, the use of this wood should be avoided.