General Data for Species Cynometra ananta |
| Authority - Hutch. & Dalziel | Varieties, cultivars, Hybrids, Subspecies -
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| Common Names - Ananta, apomé | Synonyms - |
| Gymnosperm or Angiosperm? Angiosperm | Commercial wood? - Commercial |
| Uses - Suitable for heavy construction, heavy flooring, bridge building, exterior joinery, interior trim, ship building,
vehicle bodies, mine props, poles, railway sleepers, sporting goods, toys, novelties, agricultural implements,
pattern making and turnery. | Durability - |
| Plant forms - | Typical sizes of plant - 35 - 45 m tall |
| Seasoning - | Stability - . |
| General Description - The heartwood is reddish brown with darker streaks, and distinctly demarcated from the 2.5–7.5 cm wide, yellowish to pinkish brown sapwood. The grain is usually interlocked, texture fine.
The wood is heavy, with a density of 910–1000 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content. It air dries slowly with a tendency of checking and end splitting. Drying should therefore be done with care.
The rates of shrinkage are moderately high, from green to oven dry 5.2% radial and 9.3% tangential. Once dry, the wood is not very stable in service.
At 12% moisture content, the modulus of rupture is 126–187 N/mm², modulus of elasticity 14,700–17,840 N/mm², compression parallel to grain 72–83 N/mm², cleavage 18.5–19.5 N/mm,
Janka side hardness 11,700 N, Chalais-Meudon side hardness 8.5–14.8 and Janka end hardness 12,940 N.
The wood is difficult to saw and work, and has severe blunting effect on cutting edges and saw teeth; the use of tungsten-tipped cutting edges is recommended. In planing operations
a 15° cutting angle is recommended to obtain a good finish, and cutting edges should be kept sharp. Pre-boring is needed for nailing and screwing. The corrosion rate of iron and steel
in the wood is high. The wood glues moderately well and can be stained and polished satisfactorily requiring little filling. It turns well. The steam bending properties are moderate. The wood is
durable, being resistant to termite and Lyctus attacks, but occasionally liable to pinhole borer and longhorn beetle attacks. The heartwood is resistant to impregnation with preservatives,
but the sapwood is moderately permeable.
Some imidazoline alkaloids have been isolated from the leaves. |
| Typical Defects - |
| Toxicity - |
| World Distribution - West Africa: Liberia east to Ghana |
| Comments - Provides timber sold mostly locally and less often internationally
The hard and heavy wood and the often poor bole shape of Cynometra ananta are serious drawbacks for
commercialization efforts. However, its fair regeneration rate in natural forest, and the high natural durability
and high resistance to abrasion of the wood offer possibilities for commercial timber production for special
purposes such as heavy-duty flooring, as long as long rotation cycles are acceptable |