The wood is orangey yellow brown to reddish brown. Tali from East Africa has a lighter colour. The sapwood is clearly demarcated. The grain is interlocked and the texture is coarse. The blunting effect is fairly high; peeling is bad and slicing is not recommended or without interest. Requires power.

Difficulties due to interlocked grain in planing. Nailing is good but pre-boring is necessary. Gluing is correct for interior only. With dampness, assembling of iron pieces is not advisable because of risks of reciprocal attack between wood and iron. It dries slowly and must be dried slowly and carefully in order to reduce defects.

Tali is very durable to fungi and is durable to dry wood borers; sapwood demarcated (risk limited to sapwood).

Tali can be used for several applications such as:

• Interior: e.g. industrial or heavy flooring

• Exterior: e.g. posts, stakes, bridges (parts not in contact with water or ground), sleepers, heavy carpentry, vehicle or container flooring

Can be used as a substitute for Azobe (Lophira alata).

References: CIRAD Forestry Department