KOSIPO

KOsipo TROPICAL TIMBER USES

The exotic species Kosipo is a reddish-brown wood with purplish highlights. It darkens in the light. It is a light to medium heavy, soft to medium hard wood. It is resistant to dry wood borers, moderately durable against termites. Tropical wood Kosipo could rot when humidified, even temporarily: it is therefore necessary to treat the wood in cases of use with risk of temporary humidification.

Kosipo wood is used for many purposes, including :

• Interior joinery and cabinet making for the manufacture of luxury furniture, it is appreciated for its aesthetic qualities.
• Furnishing
• Exterior joinery
• To manufacture veneers and plywood
  

It is a substitute for the tropical essence Sapelli.

Where to buy Kosipo timber?

DISTRIBUTION AREA OF THE SPECIES kosipo

The tropical tree Kosipo grows in the forests of West and Central Africa from Guinea to the Democratic Republic of Congo and to Angola.

ECOLOGY OF THE SPECIES Kosipo

Kosipo is found in semi-deciduous forests on wet soils. It is a deciduous species that loses its leaves for a short period. The winged seeds winged are dispersed by the wind.

DESCRIPTION OF kosipo TROPICAL TIMBER

See the Tropix sheet of Kosipo (CIRAD).

• Color: red brown
• Sapwood: clearly demarcated
• Texture: coarse
• Grain: straight or slightly interlocked
• Interlocked grain: slight

PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF kosipo TROPICAL TIMBER

See the Tropix sheet of Kosipo (CIRAD).

NATURAL DURABILITY AND TREATABILITY OF kosipo TROPICAL TIMBER

See the Tropix sheet of Kosipo (CIRAD).

• Funghi: class 2-3 - durable to moderately durable
• Dry wood borers: class D - durable (sapwood demarcated - risk limited to sapwood)
• Termites : class M - moderately durable
• Treatability: class 3 - poorly permeable
• Use class ensured by natural durability: class 3 - not in ground contact, outside
• Species covering the use class 5: No

PROCESSING OF kosipo TROPICAL TIMBER

See the Tropix sheet of Kosipo (CIRAD).

Sources : CIRAD - ATIBT - ITTO

Copyright photo: Q. Meunier, C. Moumbogou, J.-L. Doucet, 2015, Les arbres utiles du Gabon