Common Name: Manni
Scientific Name: Symphonia globulifera
Wood Appearance: The heartwood is buff-brown with shades of yellow, rose or orange, and distinctly demarcated from the grey-yellow, 2–5 cm wide sapwood. The grain is generally straight, sometimes interlocked, texture medium to coarse. The wood has medium lustre and a mealy appearance, with conspicuous lines and arches on the radial surface and mottling on the tangential surface. The wood is classified as medium-weight to moderately heavy.
- Physical Properties: Medium-weight to moderately heavy, with a density ranging from 530 to 720 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content. Drying is challenging, with a risk of distortion, checking, and casehardening. Once dry, its high shrinkage rates make it poorly stable in service. High radial (4.8–6.6%) and tangential (9.7–10.7%) shrinkage from green to oven-dry.
Mechanical Properties: The heartwood is moderately durable but vulnerable to termites and not suitable for ground contact in wet conditions.
- Modulus of Rupture / Bending Strength: 82–181 N/mm².
- Modulus of Elasticity / Stiffness: 12,500–18,400 N/mm².
- Crushing strength at 12%: 77 N/mm².
Uses: Utility construction, furniture, plywood and veneer, boat parts, interior joinery