Millettia spp. | Other Common Names: Millettia laurentii: Wenge (Zaire), Awong (Cameroon). Millettia stuhlmannii: Panga Panga, Mpande (Tanzania).
Distribution: Southern regions of Tanzania and Mozambique, found in open forests. Wenge occurs in the Congo region in periodically inundated swampy forests --- General Characteristics: Heartwood dark brown to almost black with alternate layers of light and dark tissue forming a decorative figure; sapwood yellowish white, clearly demarcated. Texture rather coarse; grain straight --- Working Properties: Sawing and machining somewhat difficult, rapid blunting of cutting edges occurs, turns well, difficult to glue if resinous --- Durability: Heartwood is rated as very durable and resistant to termite attack --- Preservation: Heartwood extremely resistant to impregnation; sapwood moderately resistant to permeable --- Uses: Parquet or strip flooring, joinery, general construction, specialty items. Wenge is used as a hickory substitute in sporting goods, also for decorative veneer.
Source: USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, One Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53705-2398, (608) 231-9200, Excerpt from USDA Document.