NIANGON

NOTE: this fact sheet is for Tarrietia utilis
BOTANICAL NAME: The primary species that uses this common name is Tarrietia utilis (synonyms Heritiera utilis and Triplochiton utils) of the family Sterculiaceae, but the name also includes Heritiera densiflora and Cola proteiformis

COMMON NAMES: atabene, awabima, bai, cola mahogany, damlu, de-orh, denerenafa, fiya-yaw, hamon, ka-fol-fol, kwaeduma, niangon, nyangoe, nyangoule, nyangwen, nyangwene, nyankom, nyankum, nyanwen, nyanwone, nyawene, ogoue, pteryyota wawampe'e, red cedar, rezogoue, wishmore, yankom, yankun, yauwi, yaw, yawe, yawi-kaima, yawii, yawio

TYPE: hardwood

COLOR: heartwood is pale reddish brown, sometimes yellowish brown, and darkens with age; sapwood is enerally whitish although some reports say it is not always distinguishable from the heartwood. Sapwood is up to 3 inches wide.

GRAIN: closed and ususally interlocked, sometimes wavy; may have high rays which can produce a distinct attractive figure on radial (quartersawn) surfaces

Some logs may contain brittleheart

TEXTURE: medium to coarse, sometimes with a greasy feel due to resin content; may have a moderate natural luster but usually is dull.

PROPERTIES / WORKABILITY: A hard and strong wood with medium strength in bending and crushing, and low strength in stiffness and resistance to shock loads. Works well with all hand and most machine tools but quarter sawn material requires a reduced planing angle of 15 degrees to prevent grain from tearing. Some operations may be impeded by severe interlocked grain, and reduction of cutting angle is generally needed in planing quartersawn material. Only moderate dulling of cutting edges.

A long tooth pitch is essential in rip-sawing to prevent sawdust from packing and causing overheating of saw blades. Break-out at bottom of cut is very common in cross-cutting. For moulding, clean surfaces are reported to be rather difficult to achieve and french head is reported to be most suitable.

some reports say it is easy to nail, some say it is difficult to nail, all agree there is a tendancy to split but holding properties are good. My limited experience is that it is moderately easy to nail. It screws well. Most reports say easy to glue, some say moderately difficult; my own limited experience is that it is easy to glue. Some reports recommend pre-treatment of the surface with a caustic soda solution or ammonia is recommended to remove exuded gum before glueing

veneering: converted by rotary cutting for the manufacture of plywood and Figured logs are sliced into decorative veneers. There is slight to moderate drying degrade and the potential for buckles and splits.

TREE: The tree is reported to often develop stilted roots in swampy areas. It is usually buttressed, and reaches a height of 100 to 130 feet with a trunk diameter of 24 to 36 inches above the buttresses. Boles are usually straight and clear of branches to about 65 feet but are sometimes irregular.

WEIGHT: 38-45 lbs/cu. ft.

DRYING: dries fairly rapidly with little distortion but some twist may occur. End-splitting, surface checking, and collapse are also reported to occur but they are typically slight and confined to a few boards.

drying shrinkage is: radial 4%, tangential 8% to 10%

AVAILABILITY: I don't see it around very much in the USA but it isn't really a rare wood. It is very common in its areas of growth.

COST: moderate

TOXICITY: may cause skin problems

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The population of this species is reported to be rather secure within most areas in its natural growth range, including Ivory Coast, but it is officially classified as Vulnerable in Liberia, which means it may move into an Endangered classification in the near future if adverse conditions such as over-exploitaion and excessive destruction of the natural habitat persist.

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The International Tropical Timbers Organization reports that Niangon is a fairly important source of timber in the producing countries, although prduction is decreasing. Niangon is reported to be a regular export commodity.

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The timber is reported to be often marketed under the trade name Niangon along with another similar but darker and somewhat heavier wood which grows mainly in Central Africa

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