{"id":2214,"date":"2017-03-06T04:00:04","date_gmt":"2017-03-06T09:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/?p=2214"},"modified":"2017-01-21T17:53:04","modified_gmt":"2017-01-21T22:53:04","slug":"2214-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/2214-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Afzelia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
As is often the case when discussing tropical exotic hardwoods, it is necessary to do some housekeeping to be certain that we are clear about exactly which wood we are referencing. In this case, we have to cover two continents.<\/p>\n
Afzelia<\/em> refers to a genus level designation used by botanists and other scientists to classify trees that grow in both Africa and southeastern Asia. The African species are more abundant and include: A. africana, A. bella, A. bipindensis, A. bracteata, A. pachyloba, A. palembanica, A. peturei, and A. quanzensis<\/em>. Of these, A. africana<\/em> is the most commonly exported species.<\/p>\n The southeast Asian species include: A. rhomboidea and A. xylocarpa<\/em>. Of these species, A. xylocarpa<\/em> is the most commonly exported species. A. xylocarpa<\/em> is native to deciduous forests in: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.<\/p>\n When commercially harvested examples of A. xylocarpa<\/em> display a pommele or blistered figure they may be sold as “Afzelia xylay,” an abbreviation of the species name, or they may be referred to by the more poetic naming convention which we are using here, “Afzelia Lace.”<\/p>\n As is true of terms such as “bird’s eye maple” or “rainbow poplar,” the use of the descriptive term “lace” refers ONLY to a figure present in some examples of Afzelia<\/em> spp<\/em>. woods, usually A. xylocarpa<\/em>, not to a distinct species of tree.<\/p>\n For the sake of simplicity and common understanding, I will refer from this point forward to Afzelia spp<\/em>.<\/p>\n