''Terminalia superba'', the superb terminalia, limba, or afara (UK), korina (US), frake (Africa),
African limba wood, ofram (Ghana), is a large tree in the family
Combretaceae
The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 530 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in ca 10 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, ''Combret ...
, native to tropical western
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
.
It grows up to 60 m tall, with a domed or flat crown, and a trunk typically clear of branches for much of its height, buttressed at the base. The leaves are 10 cm long and 5 cm broad, and are
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
in the
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The ...
(November to February). The flowers are produced at the end of the dry season just before the new leaves; they are small and whitish, growing in loose spikes 10–12 cm long. The fruit is a
samara
Samara ( rus, Сама́ра, p=sɐˈmarə), known from 1935 to 1991 as Kuybyshev (; ), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara rivers, with a population ...
with two wings.
Uses
The wood is either a light (white limba or korina) or with dark stripes (black limba) hardwood. It is used for making furniture, table tennis blades (as outer ply), and musical instruments and prized for its workability and excellent colour and finish. The most well known example of its use in guitars is when Gibson produced their now highly sought-after
Flying V
The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1958. The Flying V offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Explorer, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, which was designe ...
and
Explorer
Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians.
Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...
guitars in 1958. Makers of table tennis blades choose limba, and in particular black limba, for its flexibility and the idea that it enhances top-spin. Limba is used in some blades made by
Stiga and OSP. When finished in a clear coat, white limba results in an attractive light golden colour.
It is not rare and expensive due to overharvesting, and it is plentiful due to efforts in the 1950s to preserve a natural supply of the wood. This species is reportedly relatively secure, with little or no threat to its population within its natural growth range, according to the
World Conservation Monitoring Center
The UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is a collaboration centre of UN Environment Programme, based in Cambridge in the United Kingdom. UNEP-WCMC has been part of UN Environment Programme since 2000, and has ...
in 1992.
Gallery
File:Terminalia superba-Musée royal de l'Afrique centrale (1).jpg
File:Terminalia superba-Musée royal de l'Afrique centrale (2).jpg
File:Terminalia superba-Musée royal de l'Afrique centrale (3).jpg
File:Terminalia superba-Musée royal de l'Afrique centrale (4).jpg
File:Black Limba Commercial Forest Products.jpg, A rare board of 8/4 x 15" wide Quartersawn Black Limba with heavy flame figure
References
Bibliography
* Gledhill, D. (1972). ''West African Trees''. London: Longman. .
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1419734
superba
Trees of Africa