Bark 
The outer "bark is reddish (h) . 
Leaves, Flowers, Fruits 
The leaves are smooth and leathery, oval, and 3 to 5 inches long. The 
flowers are small, creamy yellow, and slightly fragrant. The fruits grow 
in clusters and are elongated capsules with a few orange-red seeds (h) . 
The Wood 
Color 
The wood is pale yellow or straw-colored, without distinction between sap- 
wood and heartwood . It is subject to blue stain (2, k, 6). 
Texture, Grain, Figure 
Odoko is generally straight -grained, but it may occasionally have inter- 
locked grain. The texture is fine. A distinct "silver-grain" figure 
appears on the quarter-cut surface because of the relatively conspicuous 
rays (2, h, 6). 
Weight 
In tests conducted at the British Forest Products Eesearch Laboratory, air- 
dried wood at 12 percent moisture content weighed hi pounds per cubic foot; 
green wood at ^0 percent moisture content weighed 53 pounds per cubic foot (l) 
Mechanical Properties 
Values obtained for the mechanical properties of odoko in the green and air- 
dry condition are presented in table 1 (l) . 
Seasoning and Shrinkage 
Odoko is reported to develop checks and splits during air-drying. Blue 
stain may also occur. Warping is usually not excessive. 
In kiln drying, the wood has a tendency to split and existing shakes tend 
to enlarge. There is little distortion in drying (2, 6). Kiln schedule 5 of 
the British Forest Products Eesearch Laboratory has been recommended for this 
Report No. 1973 ~ 2 " 
