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Color/Appearance: Heartwood is medium brown, sometimes with a reddish hue, commonly with dark brown to black streaks throughout. Clearly demarcated sapwood is a pale yellow to white.
Grain/Texture: Grain is straight, with a very fine uniform texture and a high natural luster.
Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; solitary and radial multiples; medium pores in no specific arrangement, moderately numerous to numerous; parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates; narrow rays, spacing close.
Rot Resistance: No data available.
Workability: Difficult to work due to its high density. As with other ebonies, Mun Ebony may present difficulties in gluing. Turns and finishes superbly.
Odor: No characteristic odor.
Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Ebony in the Diospyros genus has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include eye, skin, and respiratory irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicityand Wood Dust Safetyfor more information.
Pricing/Availability: Because of exploitation and drastic population reductions, export of Mun Ebony is currently banned. Prices for the wood are likely to be very high, and from dubious sources.
Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, but is on the IUCN Red List. It is listed as critically endangered due to a population reduction of over 80% in the past three generations, caused by a decline in its natural range, and exploitation.
Common Uses: Inlay, carvings, veneer, and turned objects.
Comments: No data available.
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