Guibourtia ehie - Ovangkol - Amazakoue | Other Common Names: Ehie, Anokye (Ghana), Amazoue, Amazakoue (Ivory Coast). Currently being marketed in the United States as "Mozambique."
Distribution: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Southern Nigeria, and Gabon. Prefers closed rain forests and transitional forests, often in small groups --- General Characteristics:Heartwood yellow brown to dark brown with gray to almost black stripes; sapwood yellow white, about 4 in. wide, clearly demarcated. Texture moderately coarse; grain straight to interlocked; attractive figure; unpleasant odor when freshly cut --- Drying and Shrinkage: Requires care in seasoning. No information on kiln schedules.Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 3.6 to 5.3%; tangential 6.6 to 9.8%; volumetric 10.0 to 12.0% --- Working Properties: Saws slowly but well for its density, works fairly easily with hand and machine tools, planes to a good finish, must be heated before slicing into veneers. May stain when in contact with metal --- Durability: Heartwood moderately durable, rarely attacked by termites --- Preservation: Heartwood resistant to impregnation; sapwood moderately resistant --- Uses: Fine furniture and cabinetwork, turnery, decorative veneers, flooring. A walnutlike wood. Yields a gum copal used in pharmaceuticals and as a base for varnishes.
Source: USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, One Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53705-2398, (608) 231-9200, Excerpt from USDA Document