Among botanists and other scientists interested in trees and the wood they yield, Wenge is known as Millettia laurentii<\/em>. A closely related species is M. stuhlmannii<\/em>, sometimes sold as Panga Panga, which yields a wood that is similar in appearance, however it is native to eastern Africa.<\/p>\n
Millettia laurentii <\/em>is native to central-west Africa, being harvested from the eastern parts of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon and the western parts of the Central African Republic, the Congo Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Gabon and Congo are by far the largest exporters of M. laurentii.<\/em> Cameroon exports much smaller quantities of sawn lumber but actual logs of Millettia laurentii <\/em>require a special license to export from the country. The other nations in which this species grows export smaller amounts of material. This is due both to the existence of other viable resources, such as petroleum in Equatorial Guinea, as well as civil unrest and violence in both the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.<\/p>\n
For the sake of simplicity and common understanding, I will refer to M. laurentii <\/em>from this point forward as Wenge.<\/p>\n