The Tree
It is a large deciduous tree often 48m tall with an average diameter of 1.0m to 1.5m or more. It is sometimes strongly buttressed, the winged buttresses extending as much as 6m up the trunk.

The Timber
The heartwood is typically a uniform reddish-brown, but occasional logs are much lighter coloured, sometimes a pale pink not very different from the pinkish-grey sapwood which may be 100mm wide. The heartwood darkens on exposure. The grain is interlocked, but the stripe figure produced on quarter-sawn surfaces is rather irregular and broad. It has a medium texture. The surface is lustrous, more so than sapele, and when fresh, the wood has a slight scent. It is lighter in weight than sapele, weighing about 560 kg/m3 when dried.

Drying
The timber dries rapidly with a marked tendency to distort.

Strength
It has good strength properties for its weight, but is slightly inferior in this respect to African mahogany and sapele.

Working Qualities
Medium - Works fairly easily with hand and machine tools, but owing to Interlocked grain it has a marked tendency to tear during planing or moulding unless the cutting angle is reduced to at least 150. It glues, nails and screws well, and takes a good polish if the grain is filled. Decorative veneer can be produced, and the plain veneer is suitable for the manufacture of plywood.