Eperua falcata (Wallaba)

Scientific Name
Eperua falcata

Trade Name
Wallaba

Family Name
Leguminosae

Common Names
Apa, Apazeiro, Bainha de espada, Bijhout, Bijlhout, Bioudou, Bois de sabre, Eperu, Eperua falcata, Espadeira, Ituri, Ituri wallaba, Itusi wallaba, Jacare copahiba, Jebaro, Jebaru-rana, Palo machete, Parewe, Parive, Pois sabre, Soft wallaba, Uapa, Uapa tabaco, Vouapa-tabaca, Walaba, Walaba ituri walaba, Wallaba, Wallabaholz, Wapa, Wapa gras, Wapa huileux, Wapa patouve, Water wallaba, White wallaba, Woapa, Woapa huileux, Wopa, Wouapa, Yoboko

Regions of Distribution
Central America, Latin America

Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP]
Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela

Common Uses
Boat building: decking, Boat building: framing, Bridge construction, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Charcoal, Construction, Cooperages, Crossties, Decks, Factory construction, Factory flooring, Flooring, Flooring: commercial heavy traffic, Flooring: industrial heavy traffic, Fuelwood, Furniture, Heavy construction, Joinery (external): ground contact, Joinery, Light construction, Marine construction, Mine timbers, Particleboard, Piling, Poles, Posts, Pulp/Paper products, Railroad ties, Roofing, Shingles, Structural work, Sub-flooring, Turnery, Utility poles, Vats, Vehicle parts, Wharf construction, Wheel spokes, Wheels

Environmental Profile

Distribution Overview
Generally found in the Guianas and into Venezuela and the Amazon region of northern Brazil.

Heartwood Color

Sapwood Color

Grain

Texture

Luster

Natural Growth Defects

Natural Durability

It is rated as low in resistance to attack by marine borers.
Resistant to attack by subterranean termites and fairly resistant to dry-wood termite attack.

Odor

Light-Induced Color Change

Kiln Schedules

Drying Defects

Drying Degrade (cup) = slight

Ease of Drying

Air-Drying is suggested before kiln-drying.
Marked tendency to develop drying degrade

Kiln Drying Rate

Tree Identification

Product Sources
The ITTO reports that timber production from the species is rather low. The timber is exported in low quantities.

Substitutes
The timber is similar in properties to Meranti (Shorea spp. )

Comments
General finishing qualities are rated as good

General finishing qualities are rated as poor

General finishing qualities are rated as satisfactory

Blunting Effect

Boring

Carving

Cutting Resistance

Saw teeth may be clogged by high exudation of gum from green wood. Kiln-dried wood is reported to exude little gum and is therefore easier to saw and machine.

Gluing

Mortising

Moulding

Movement in Service

Nailing

Planing

Resistance to Impregnation

Resistance to Splitting

Response to Hand Tools

Routing & Recessing

Turning

Steam Bending

Painting

Polishing

Staining

Strength Properties

Numerical Data

References
Barbour, W.R.,1952,Cativo (Prioria copaifera,Journal of Forestry,50(2,PP96-9

Bena, P.,1960,Essences Forestieres de Guyane,Bureau Agricole et Forestier Guyanais Guyana

Berni, C.A., Bolza, E., Christensen, F.J.,1979,South American Timbers – The Characteristics, Properties and Uses of 190,Species,C.S.I.R.O Div. Building Research

Bois et Forets des Tropiques,1951,Wafa (Eperua sp. en particulier E. falcata et E. jenmani,Bois et Forets des Tropiques,No.17 pp37-40

Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois, E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Hardwoods – Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.

Brown, W.H.,1978,Timbers of the World, No. 2 South America,TRADA, Red Booklet Series

Chichignoud, M., G. Deon, P. Detienne, B. Parant and P. Vantomme. 1990. Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America. International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO, Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Division of CIRAD, 45 bis Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, Nogent-sur-Marne, CEDEX, France.

Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.

Clifford, N.,1957,Timber Identification for the Builder and Architect,Leonard Hill (Books) LTD. London

Edmondson, C.H.,1949,Reaction of Woods from S.America and Caribbean areas to Marine Borers in,Hawaiian Waters,Caribbean Foresters,10(1,PP37-41

Erfurth, T., Rusche, H.,1976,The Marketing of Tropical Wood B. Wood Species from S. American Tropical,Moist Forests,F.A.O. Forestry Department

Fanshawe, D.B.,1948,Studies of the Trees of British Guiana Part 3,Tropical Woods,12(93,pp1-28

Fanshawe, D.B.,1954,Forest Products of British Guiana Part 1 Principal Timbers,Forest Department British Guiana Forestry Bulletin (New Series 2nd,Edition,No.1

Farmer, R.H.,1972,Handbook of Hardwoods,HMSO

Forest Products Research Laboratory, U.K.,1954,Hardwoods for Industrial Flooring,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Leaflet, No.48

Forests Products Research Laboratory, U.K.,1956,A Handbook of Hardwoods,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Department of,Science and Industrial Research, Building Research Establishment

Guna et al, S.R.D.,1945,Notes on British Guiana Timbers,The ‘Daily Chronicle’ Ltd. Printers,28PP

Guyana – Forest Department,1951,British Guiana Timbers – Wallaba (Epenia Spp.,British Guiana Forestry Department Leaflet No. 3

HMSO. 1981. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R.H. Farmer, Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Howard, A.L.,1948,A Manual of Timbers of the World.,Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London 3rd ed.

Kribs, D.A.,1950,Commercial and Foreign Woods on the American Market (a manual to their,structure, identification, uses and distribution,U.S.A. Penn. State College, Tropical Woods Laboratory

Kynoch, W., Norton, N.A.,1938,Mechanical Properties of certain tropical woods chiefly from S. America,School of Forestry and Conservation, University of Michigan Bulletin,No.7

Longwood, F.R.,1962,Commercial Timbers of the Caribbean,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook,No.207

Martin-Lavigne, E.,1909,Recherches sur les Bois de la Guyane,Vigot Freres Paris

Polak, A.M.,1992,Major Timber Trees of Guyana A Field Guide,The Tropenbos Foundation Wageningen, The Netherlands

Record, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1943,Timbers of the New World,Yale University Press

Record, S.J., Mell, C.D.,1924,Timbers of Tropical America,Yale Univ. Press

Redding, L.W.,1971,Resistance of Timbers to Impregnation with Creosote,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Building Research,Establishment Bulletin No.54 pp.43

Sallenave, P.,1955,Proprietes Phyiques et Mecaniques des Bois Tropicaux de l’Union Francaise,C.T.F.T

Sallenave, P.,1971,Proprietes Physiques et Mecaniques des Bois Tropicaux (Deuxieme,Supplement,C.T.F.T.

Stone, H.,1924,The Timbers of Commerce and their Identification,William Rider & Sons Ltd. London

Surinam Forest Service,1952,Surinam Timber – A Summary with brief descriptions of the main timber,species of Surinam,Surinam Forest Service

Takahashi, A.,1975,Compilation of data on the Mechanical Properties of Foreign Woods (Part 2,Central and South America,Shimane University, Japan, Research Report on Foreign Wood No.4

Vink, A.T.,1965,Surinam Timbers,Surinam Forest Service Paramaribo,3rd rev. ed.

Wolcott, G.N.,1950,An Index to the Termite Resistance of Woods,Agricultural Experimental Station, University of Puerto Rico Bulletin,No.85