The exotic species Sipo is a Central African essence sought after in exterior joinery and cabinet making. It is a versatile wood, with a reddish-brown appearance, a substitute for mahogany in exterior joinery.
Entandrophragma utile
Family: MELIACEAE (angiosperme)
Commercial restrictions: no commercial restriction
The tropical tree Sipo is one of the giants of the forests of West and Central Africa: it is sometimes higher than 60 m, for 2 m in diameter!
Its bole is straight, with buttresses or bases that can reach up to 5 m, and covered with a silver-grey to yellow-grey cracked bark. The edge of Sipo, not very fragrant, is pinkish-red.
Sipo is an exotic red-brown wood with purplish reflections. The wood is moderately durable against fungi and termites, but is resistant to dry wood borers due to its distinct sapwood.
It is a versatile material since it can be used in both interior and exterior joinery. Tropical wood Sipo is also used in the manufacture of plywood, panellings and mouldings.
Tropical species Sipo is found over a wide distribution area in central and western Africa, from Guinea in the north to Angola in the south and Uganda in the east.
The tropical tree Sipo is a deciduous species that grows in dense evergreen humid and semi-caducifoliated forests.
See Tropix sheet of Sipo (CIRAD).
See Tropix sheet of Sipo (CIRAD).
See Tropix sheet of Sipo (CIRAD).
Sources:
Copyright photo: Q. Meunier, C. Moumbogou, J.-L. Doucet, 2015. Les arbres utiles du Gabon
use(s) for this species :
