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European OAK (Quercus petraea, Quercus robur)
Oak is typical of western and mid-southern Europe. It is a broad-leaved tree of prime size, with rounded leaves. Its foliage develops in height and the tree can be up to 30-40 m tall. Thanks to its deep root system, it well tolerates drought. Oak wood is quite valuable and, besides furniture, it is employed in constructions, in shipbuilding and for the casks where select wine and other alcoholic drinks age. It is an excellent combustibile, so it is also used for producing coal. Its fruit is the typical shiny, yellow-brownish acorn with oblong pericarp. |
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CHESNUT (Castanea sativa)
The chestnut is similar to the oak and the beech. Typical of Asia Minor, it was first introduced in Western Europe by the Romans. It is a longeval tree, about 15-20 m tall, but it can reach remarkable dimensions such as 30-35 m and 6-8 m of girth. The chestnut lives in the temperate mountainous region and is cultivated between 300 and 1000-1200 m A.S.L., depending on the latitude. Although it prefers bright sunshine, it thrives in north or north-east versants, which are less affected by drought and have lesser temperature range. Its fruit, the chestnut, is edible and is contained in a spiky husk. |
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STEAMED ACACIA (Robinia pseudoacacia)
The Acacia, or Robinia pseudo-acacia, belongs to the Fabaceae family, it is native of North America. It develops both in an arboreal (up to 25 m of height) and shrubby form, mainly coppice. The bark is light brown and very rugose. It has pinnate leaves, 30-35 cm long, with 11-21 small ovate leaves, up to 6 cm long, with a thin apex. Its leaves are open during the day but tend to close and overlap during the night. Its white or cream-coloured flowers are about 2 cm long and cluster in a hanging bunch, like pea flowers. Its fruits take the form of a seedpod, first green and then brown, about 10 cm long. Younger branches have thorns |
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CANADIAN MAPLE (Acer saccharum)
Canadian Maple of the genus Acer, belongs to the Aceraceae family which comes from North America. It can be both of arboreal and shrubby form, from 1 to 30 m tall. Usually its deciduous leaves have from 3 to 7/8 lobes. Maples grow in montane and submontane areas in mixed coppice, in phyto-climatic areas (0-1500 m A.S.L.). The Maple leaf (Acer saccharum) is reproduced in the middle of the Canadian flag. Maple is often employed in musical instruments, especially in the handles of electric guitars and in the sides of the body of violins. |
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European CHERRY (Prunus avium)
The Cherry is mainly a fruit tree and belongs to the family Rosaceae, genus Prunus. Cherries grow naturally in European forests. The cultivated specie which produces cherries, has an orange or russet colour, a hard and compact texture, with regular fibres, and a darker colour, verging on gold. Cherry has gained a remarkable position among wood species thanks to its chromatic, physical and mechanical features. Its distinctive colour and grain uniformity makes it incomparable at finishing stage. The American Cherry (Prunus serotina) grows in the North-Eastern areas of the U.S.A. and Canada. |
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DOUSSIE’ (Afzelia africana)
Solid wood from central and western Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Camerun, the Ivory Coast). Golden, reddish in colour, it is well known for its use in wooden flooring. |
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IROKO (Clorophora excelsa)
Particularly hard wood from African tropical forests and rain forests of countries in the Gulf of Guinea, from Sierra Leone to Angola-Kenya, Ethiopia and the Congo basin. It has a dark yellowish colour with a pattern of darker and coarser grains. Medium and coarse texture and quite varied fibres. |
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European WALNUT (Juglans regia)
The best known specie is the Juglans Regia, renowned as fruit walnut or white walnut. Its highly decorative grain ranges in colour from brown to white. It grows in northern and southern America, in Asia and in Europe. |
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WENGE’ (Milettia laurentii)
Wengè is native to tropical African countries. It is a very hard kind of wood, of very dark colour, sometimes with thin, yellowish grains. The wood is also used in the making of guitars and electric basses..
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