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RENGAS

Gluta spp., Melanorrhoea spp., and Melanochyla spp.
Gluta spp., Melanorrhoea spp., and Melanochyla spp. of the family Anacardiaceae. There are also a few other speices from other genera that also sometimes go under the name of rengas but I consider them to be obscure. Native to Indonesia, Borneo, and India. There are quite a few species from each of the three genera listed that have the name rengas as all or part of one or more of their common names. I don't know how you distinguish among them and I don't know which are shown on this page except as specifically noted.

You will occasionally see the common name spelled renghas, the same as the specific epithet of one particular species (Gluta renghas), but I believe this is just a mistake.

my samples: NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K) colors will vary under other lighting conditions

both sides of a sample plank of rengas / Gluta spp. --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of rengas / Gluta spp. --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of rengas / Gluta renghas --- HUGE enlargements are present. The color difference between the two sides is correctly shown --- probably a slight patina on the front side. The exceptionally bright red on the second side is corr


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of rengas / Melanochyla spp. --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of rengas / Gluta renghas --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. Note that the second face was sanded to 240 grit and the first face was not and this accounts for minor differences in color between the two (the first face still has a patina) and the better resolution of the detail characteristics as seen in the second one.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


sample plank and end grain, listed as "rhengas", which, I am confident, is just a careless misplacement of the letter, not an alternate common name ("renghas" is sometimes used instead of the more common "rengas", especially for Gluta renghas where it is the specific epithet.


end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above


both sides of a sample plank of rengas. HUGE enlargements are present. This piece was sent to me for identification.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of rengas / Gluta renghas --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of rengas / species uncertain --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


a small piece sent to me by Jim Oddo for identification. Note that on the left side, which was the most quartersawn surface available, you can see small ray flakes (much more clear in the enlargements)


side grain closeup


end grain closeup --- for some reason, the color correction was nearly impossible on this one ... to get the color to come out more correct (less violet, more red), I would have had to turn my white scale a strong green. Weird. I think my camera's color setting must have gone bonkers for some reason when this was taken. So, anyway, the color shown here is still a too violet.


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of rengas. HUGE enlargements are present. This little piece was sent to me for ID. I was 95% sure from the pics posted on the wood forum that it was rengas and the end grain fine detail confirmed that.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

web pics:

planks


planks with a color that seems unlikely


narrow planks


turning stock listed as Borneo rosewood


bowl blanks


bowl blanks and turning stock, all from the same vendor, all with both levels of enlargement, and all slathered in wax


scales


veneer


veneer listed as rengas but the very light color makes me dubious. Could just be the photography though.


guitar sets


planks and turning stock from the BogusColorVendor and with a color that seems over-saturated, as they are wont to do, although in this case it's probably not by quite as much as usual since rengas does get to be quite red sometimes and these are waxed


bowl --- I think the color on this is probably a bit over-saturated.