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Color/Appearance: Color ranges from a lighter salmon pink to a darker brownish red. Appearance has been likened to both Black Cherryand Honduran Mahogany. Color tends to deepen with age.
Grain/Texture: Has a medium texture and small to medium sized open pores. The grain tends to be straight and even. Also, since the wood is grown and pruned on a plantation, there tends to be few knots or other abnormal grain patterns.
Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; large to very large pores arranged in diagonal rows, few; exclusively solitary; tyloses occasionally present; growth rings indistinct; narrow rays usually not visible without lens, fairly close spacing; parenchyma vasicentric.
Rot Resistance: Mixed reports, with most sources rating the heartwood as moderately durable in regard to decay resistance, though it is susceptible to insect attack.
Workability: Generally easy to work, though it can burn easily. Glues, stains, and finishes well.
Odor: No characteristic odor.
Allergies/Toxicity: Besides the standard health risks associated with any type of wood dust, no further health reactions have been associated with Lyptus®. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicityand Wood Dust Safetyfor more information.
Pricing/Availability: Should be reasonably priced, especially for an import. (This is most likely due to the source of the wood: which is exclusively grown on plantations.)
Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Common Uses: Flooring, lumber, interior millwork, cabinetry, plywood, and turned objects.
Comments: Lyptus® is merely a trade name, which is a registered trademark owned by the Brazilian company Fibria. The Lyptus® brand is marketed in the United States by Weyerhaeuser. The actual tree species, which is grown on Brazilian plantations owned by Fibria, is a Eucalyptus hybrid of Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla.
In terms of mechanical/physical characteristics, Lyptus® has a very high shrinkage rate, and is likely to experience a fair amount of seasonal movement. The wood is relatively hard, heavy, and strong, though as a general rule, the paler pinkish brown boards tend to be less dense, while the darker reddish brown boards tend to be heavier and harder.
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