Heartwood fairly uniform red- or purple brown; well demarcated from the light brown sapwood. Texture medium; grain interlocked and rather irregular, has a less uniform stripe figure than sapele; has a faint cedarlike scent. Timber is corrosive to metals.
PropertiesWorks fairly easily with hand and machine tools, interlocked grain may cause tearing in planing and shaping, finishes well, glues and nails easily. Heartwood is moderately resistant to attack by decay fungi and termites. Sapwood is liable to attack by powder-post beetle. Heartwood is extremely resistant to treatment; sapwood is easy to treat.