''Aucoumea klaineana'' (angouma, gaboon, or okoumé) is a

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the family

Burseraceae The Burseraceae are a moderate-sized family of 17-19 genera and about 540 species of flowering plants. The actual numbers differ according to the time period in which a given source is written describing this family. The Burseraceae are also kno ...

, native to equatorial west

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

, the Republic of the Congo, and

Río Muni Río Muni (called ''Mbini'' in Fang) is the Continental Region (called ''Región Continental'' in Spanish) of Equatorial Guinea, and comprises the mainland geographical region, covering . The name is derived from the Muni River, along whic ...

. It is a large hardwood

growing to tall, rarely larger, with a trunk diameter above the often large basal buttresses. The tree generally grows in small stands, with the roots of the trees intertwined with neighboring trees. In Gabon, it is the primary

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

species.

Uses

It is a weak wood, with low decay resistance and moderate dimensional stability. The major use of gaboon is in the manufacture of plywood. It is about 8–12% lighter than the other main

marine plywood Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...

, meranti, that is commonly used in boatbuilding, but is not as stiff. This is useful when a boat design calls for tight-radius bends, such as near the bow in a single chine design, because of its flexibility. However, it does not resist impact damage as well as meranti. It is often sheathed in epoxy resin to increase strength and give more impact and abrasion resistance, and to increase water resistance over conventional marine enamel paints. It is often used in sandwich construction using the West (and other similar) epoxy system. Its attractive appearance means that it is often used decoratively as the top surface veneer in panelling and furniture, or in solid form, in luxury items such as boxes for cigars or other high-value items (e.g. audio equipment). Gaboon plywood is also used in the French aircraft industry to make light airplanes, such as those built by

Avions Robin Robin Aircraft is a French manufacturer of light aircraft. It succeeds to ''Centre-Est Aéronautique'', ''Avions Pierre Robin'' and Apex Aircraft (''Avions Robin'' and ''Robin Aviation''). History Centre-Est Aéronautique was formed by Pierre ...

. It was used extensively to manufacture the

Jodel Société Avions Jodel is a French aircraft company started in 1946 by Édouard Joly and his son-in-law Jean Délémontez. History Jodel designed a range of light aeroplanes shortly after the Second World War. The popular myth is that the ...

range of aircraft, which are popular throughout Europe, but no longer factory-built. However, the wood's open grain, flexibility, and light weight make it a popular choice for amateur builders of Jodel aircraft to this day. In the form known as okoumé marine-grade plywood, it is considered perhaps the finest construction plywood now available for boats, especially where lighter weight is needed. It is widely available manufactured and certified to British Standard 1088. Its users range from individual hobbyist kayak builders to some of the world's largest boat builders. Most often it is used in combination with epoxy and

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

, the combination giving a structure that can be stronger and lighter than plastic or fiberglass, rivaling the performance characteristics of more advanced composites such as

carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

. The grain appearance is prized, likened to that of mahogany, and is often varnished for a decorative appearance. When used for the backs and sides of high-end acoustic guitars, okoumé (or as it is known in the trade, akoumé) exhibits many of the tonal properties of maple. Guitars made with okoumé are noticeably lighter in weight than those made with mahogany or rosewood.

References

External links

Profiles of Africa Tree Species: ''Aucoumea klaineana''Aucoumea klaineana Infographics
{{Taxonbar, from=Q781024 Burseraceae Trees of Africa Vulnerable plants Flora of Gabon Flora of the Republic of the Congo Flora of Equatorial Guinea