Dracontomelon dao
Specifications
Family
Anacardiaceae
Species
Dracontomelon dao (Blanco) Merr. & Rolfe
pacific walnut
New Guinea walnut
Description
The sapwood is light but variable in color, ranging from whitish to pinkish-brown, clearly differentiated from the grayish or brownish heartwood variegated with black. Texture and grain vary greatly depending on the species, ranging from moderately fine to coarse, straight and interwoven. Density ranges from 0.47 to 0.80. Mechanical strength is medium; the sapwood has poor durability, while the heartwood is good.
Plant morphology
Trees belonging to this species can reach 40 m in height. They have a trunk strengthened by buttresses that can reach 6 m in height; the trunk is branchless up to about 20 m. The bark is gray-brown, with large greenish spots, often irregularly scaly. The leaves are spirally arranged, very broad, odd-pinnate, protecting the buds at the tips of the branches. The flowers are greenish-white and very fragrant. The fruit is a globular drupe with a hard, woody endocarp.
Natural occurrence
Countries of origin and distribution
Southeast Asia: Philippines; Oceania: Pacific Islands, New Guinea.
Habitat and ecology
They grow mostly in lowland and riparian forests, and generally in secondary formations. Pollination is entomophilous, while the dispersal of their fruits can be either entomochorous or hydrochorous.
Uses
Application areas
It is used for furniture, interior design, floorboards, gunstocks, and veneers.
Technical data
Aesthetic characteristics
Grain
Obvious
Texture
Coarse
Physical and mechanical properties
Density
ρ
ρ
670
kg/m3
Radial shrinkage
Rad. sh.
Rad. sh.
39
MPa
Tangential shrinkage
Tang. sh.
Tang. sh.
75
MPa
Bending strength
M.O.R.
M.O.R.
94
MPa
Modulus of Elasticity
M.O.E.
M.O.E.
12100
MPa
Durability characteristics
Fungal resistance
Not durable
Insect resistance
Not resistant