Ovangkol

Ovangkol is a tree from the leguminous family. It is distributed mainly in West Africa, in limited quantities from Sierra Leone through eastern Liberia, northern Ivory Coast, northern Ghana to central Nigeria, but more abundant in southern Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, western Gabon and the Congo.

Yellow-brown to reddish-brown wood interwoven with grey-purple veins. However, it is often confused with American Rosewood, one of the most expensive woods ever. It is therefore used wherever its natural beauty stands out.

In tropical forests, Ovangkol often grows together with other representatives of the genus (bubinga also belongs to the same genus), with which it is often confused during mining. It reaches a height of 30-40 m and a trunk diameter of around 70 cm. The slatted roots often form a strong base. The sapwood is yellow-grey, 4 to 10 cm wide (not used). The prized heartwood is yellow to dark brown, with dark grey-purple veining at narrow intervals (about 5 to 10 mm).