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| Atibt | wallaba |
| Other names | Apa, apazeiro, espadeira, copaibarana (Brazil), bioudou, bois sabre, wapa, wapa huileux (French Guiana), soft walaba, ituri walaba, yoboko (Guyana), wallaba, axewood, pallewie, biri-hoedoe (Suriname), ilapa , uapa, palo manchete (Venezuela). |
| Botanical name | Eperua falcata Aublet, E. jenmanii Oliver, E. spec. various.. |
| Family | Leguminosae (Caesalpiniaceae). |
| Growth area | Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil and Venezuela. |
| Tree description | Height average 25(-30) m. The diameter is 0.4-0.6(-0.9) m, above the low root approach. The 12-18(-20) m long branch-free trunks are straight and cylindrical. The largest specimens often have a hollow heart. Due to the internal tensions in the trunk and the low splitting strength of walaba wood, the trunk often splits open during felling. |
| Supply | Round timber and squared timber. The round wood is imported as studded pole wood in lengths up to 14 m, diameter 20-35 cm. |
| Wood description | The heartwood is brown-red when fresh, darkening to dark red-brown with characteristic sticky oily streaks. The 30-40 mm wide sapwood is dirty white to light yellow-brown and clearly distinguishable from the heartwood. The appearance of walaba is strongly influenced by the high content of coloring and tanning agents (up to approximately 30% of the dry weight). Excretions from this cause dark streaks and spots on the longitudinal surface and make the wood feel greasy or sticky, causing the surface to quickly become dirty. On the end surface of a sawn-through post, this substance is seen as dark concentric rings. In Guyana there are pipeline masts without any damage, which have been in service for more than 30 years, and that means something in tropical conditions. |
| Wood type | hardwood |
| Wire | Straight. |
| Grain | Moderately coarse. |
| Voluminous mass | (800-)890- 900-910(-1050) kg/m3 at 12% moisture content, fresh 1050-1200 kg/m3. |
| To work | Mediocre. |
| To dry | Very slow. There is a tendency to crack and deformation. However, current applications are such that drying is not necessary. |
| Editability | Good. However, when sawing, gummy substances can stick to the saw. When sawing the trunk, this can be counteracted by choosing larger tooth cavities and keeping the saw blade moist with water or kerosene while sawing. Gum will continue to ooze from treated surfaces for quite some time. |
| Nailing and screwing | Pre-drilling is recommended due to the tendency to split. |
| Glue | Good. |
| Bow | Mediocre. |
| Surface finish | Well, after removing any gums from the surface. |
| Sustainability | Fungi 1. Termites MD, depending on the species. Drywood borers D. |
| Impregnability | Heartwood 4. Sapwood 3. |
| Applications | Mainly used as round timber for jetty and mooring post constructions of not too large dimensions, for example for marinas. It is also suitable for embankment revetments and for girders and supports of bridges that are not too large. In the Waal, walaba was successfully used for radar beacon posts. In the countries of origin, walaba is also used for pipe masts, industrial floors, carpentry, furniture and, because of its good splitability and durability, for roofing (shingles) and split fence posts. |
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