The Wood 
Color 
The sapwood is pinkish, 2 to k inches vide, and distinct, when fresh, from the 
heartwood; which varies in color from dull ; dark red to vine or chocolate brown 
with a purplish tinge. The heartwood may appear speckled due to light-colored 
siliceous deposits in the vessels (5, 9, l6 ; 2k, 29, 55, kl, k2) . 
Grain, Texture, an d Figure 
The grain is typically interlocked, and the texture is medium to rather coarse 
and uneven (5; 9, 2k). 
Luster 
The luster is rated as rather low (5, 9) • 
Odor and Taste 
The wood is odorless and tasteless when dry. 
Weight 
Azote is heavy (2) and will sink in water when green, "but may float when dry 
(Ik) . The weight, at 12 percent moisture content, is reported as 56 to 71 
pounds per cubic foot (5, 2k_ y kX) , Specific gravities are recorded of 0.95 "to 
1.15 at 15 percent moisture content (2b, 27, 3j+, 55) and Jjk to 0.90 based on 
oven-dry weight and green volume (5) . The wood of L. alata tends to be less 
heavy than that of L. procera (k8) . The wood of L. procera consists of more 
than ko percent of lignln (55) . 
Mechanical Properties 
Azobc is a hard, strong wood with very high "voar-and-tear" resistance (55). 
Mechanical tests have been made in France (1, 5, k, 6, 55, 58), Germany l26 ; 27 , 
55 ) j and England (15, 22) and show that its mechanical properties are higher, 
for the most part, than comparable properties for teak, oak, or pitch pine (55) . 
For equal volume, the azobe-oak static -bending ratio is reported as nearly 1.6 to 
1 in favor of azobe (55) . 
Its strength in compression and static bending is particularly high (55); its 
shock resistance is excellent and nearly the same as for greenheart. Impact 
resistance values are also high (55). 
Report No. Rl r :i5 -5- 
