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Color/Appearance: Heartwood is yellow to golden brown, with irregular brown, purple, or black streaks. Paler sapwood is about one inch thick and is solid yellow, lacking the contrasting streaks found in the heartwood.
Grain/Texture: Grain tends to be straight or slightly interlocked; texture is medium with open pores.
Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; large pores in no specific arrangement, few; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; yellowish deposits in pores abundant; growth rings indistinct; narrow rays not visible without lens, normal spacing; parenchyma vasicentric, aliform (winged and lozenge), and confluent.
Rot Resistance: Rated as durable to very durable regarding decay resistance, with moderate resistance to insect attack.
Workability: Tends to be difficult to work on account of its high density. Marblewood can have a moderate to severe blunting effect on tool cutters. Glues, turns, and finishes well—though there is a high risk of checking and resin exudation during drying.
Odor: Marblewood can have a distinctive—though usually faint—scent while being worked.
Allergies/Toxicity: There have been no known adverse health effects associated with Marblewood. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicityand Wood Dust Safetyfor more information.
Pricing/Availability: Marblewood prices tend to be in the mid to upper range for an imported exotic hardwood.
Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Common Uses: Flooring, sliced veneer, turned objects, cabinetry, and fine furniture.
Comments: The high contrast between the golden body and the much darker streaks give it an appearance somewhat similar to natural marble, hence the common name of “Marblewood” for this species. Marblewood’s overall appearance is very similar to Zebrawood, though Marblewood tends to have a slightly finer texture.
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