MANSONIA WOOD
Origin
The mansonia wood comes from one of the most unknown tropical tree species, although it is known that grows in western zones from West Africa. The main countries of exportation are Ivory Coast, Ghana or Nigeria.
Colour
The sapwood of the mansonia wood has a pinkish white, brown or dark brown colour. On the other side, the heartwood is usually reddish brown turning into a grey flush. When it gets exposed to the light or it is used in outdoor spaces, it can offer a more yellowish or pale shade.
Texture
The fiber of the surface in the masonia wood is straight or slightly crosslinked, and the grain size varies from fine to medium. It is a strong wood, but is not extremely heavy, and its density ranges between mahogany’s and walnut’s one.
Durability
The mansonia wood is classified as durable against fungi and termites, and it is completely immune to lyctids. In addition, the timber bark contains mansonin. This component is a heart poison that can cause skin irritation to the person who works with the material, but it also gives it the advantage of resisting against the action of any acid.
Features
The mansonia wood can present sometimes an interlaced fiber, that is why when cutting or trying to work with it, it looses splinters or crackes by the fissures that deform it. However, this usually does not happen and there is no problem for the sawing, cutting or gluing. It is also quite impregnable on the part of the sapwood, which accepts varnishes, dyes and other artificial colourings. But the heartwood does not usually get pigmented. The mansonia wood dries quickly without too much degradation, and even although it tends to crack when it is dry, it is stable.
Applications
The mansonia wood is specially used for interior joinery, doors, paneling, moldings, baseboards and friezes.