Zebrawood

Botanical Name

icroberlinia brazzavillensis

Other Common Names

Zebrano, Zingana, African Zebrawood

Region

West Africa

Country

Cameroon, Gaboon

The Tree

A tall tree to 150 feet; bole straight and cylindrical but relatively short, up to 50 feet; trunk diameters 48-60'' over low buttresses. The bark is up to 12'' thick.

Appearance

The heartwood is light golden-yellow or pale yellow-brown in color, with narrow-veining or streaks of dark brown to almost black, giving a zebra-stripe appearance.

Properties

Zebrawood has a medium to coarse texture and a wavy or interlocked grain pattern. The alternating hard and soft material creates working difficulties.

Working Properties

The wood is reported to work well in most machining operations including turning, boring, molding, mortising, and routing. It responds well to most ordinary tools, with moderate dulling of cutting edges. Torn surfaces are reported to be a common machining defect in material with interlocked grain.

Uses

Furniture, accessories, turnery, veneer, inlay.

Availability

It is available in limited supply and is considered moderately expensive.